Travel

Lesvos tourism breaks

Thousands of migrants stranded in the last year on the coast of the Greek island of Lesvos. The images went around the world. Now, tourists are avoiding the previously popular holiday island.

The inhabitants of the island received the refugees with water, food and Blankets, and supplied the new arrivals over the weeks with the most Necessary. For your spontaneous willingness to help, they were celebrated internationally. Of Pope Francis to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Queen Rania of Jordan to the U.S.-actress Angelina Jolie – they all claimed that the inhabitants of Lesvos. But the Image of the holiday island has been taken by the refugee drama damage. The tourism doesn’t come in this year in the course.

The guests seem to be sustainable quenched. “We were prepared for difficult times, but what we are experiencing now is much worse than expected.”, Marilena Gourgoutzi says pointing to the empty tables in your Restaurants. This time of year you would find in the port town of Molyvos usually nowhere a free space.

The port of Molyvos

In the Hotels the bookings fell compared to June of the previous year by 64 percent. “It is unfair”, says the Chairman of the chamber of Commerce Vangelis Myrsinias. “All the people who were so enthusiastic about the island residents, you should not leave in the lurch now, and our island visit.”, he adds.

Over 800,000 refugees and migrants, mainly from Syria but also from Iraq and Afghanistan were from Lesbos, you are on your way to Northern Europe. The hotel owner Theodore Vathis (74) remembers the days when 400 people arrived at once. He invited willingly families in his Van and brought them to the registry. “There were no helpers in place, we were the only ones who cared, who gave the people clothes and food.”, Vathis told.

Refugees wait in front of a ferry in the port of Mytilene

Europe saw in 2015 with the largest refugee crisis since the Second world war faced. At the beginning of 2016, several EU-member States closed their borders. 57,000 people were stuck in Greece.

Pictures of beaches, which were littered with garbage, lifejackets and inflatable boats, went around the world. The Situation on Lesvos has returned to normal, the beaches are clean again and still the tourists stay away. “From foreign guests, I hear that these images of drowned migrants, and full gemüllten beaches are still being spread.”, the owner of a Restaurant Gourgoutzi complains.

In March 2016, the EU and Turkey agreed on a refugee agreement. It stopped the flow of refugees who crossed the Aegean sea to the EU. Only a few dozen people a day end up on the island. And yet, the visitors.

Mayor Spyros Galinos reported that only nine Charter flights, driving in the week the island. Previously, there were 27. In spite of the crisis management of the island, it was not possible to revive the tourism.

Instead of the Germans, the British and the Dutch Lesbos put on visitors from Turkey. Even if you are arriving only for short trips. However, the attempted coup in Turkey on may 15. July was also this source will dry up.

The beach of Skala Eressos

In the Wake of the failed coup, the Turkish government allowed thousands of people to arrest, tens of thousands have been suspended or lost their Jobs. The state of emergency was imposed and the annual leave was cancelled, officials for the state. “Recently, we had a lot of Turkish guests here, the spent after the Ramadan holidays here.”, so Gourgoutzi. “After the coup, a significant decline was felt.”, she adds.

Last summer jewelry Yiorgos Fangoulis donated part of its revenue to the assistants that took care of the refugees. This year, he intends to donate to organizations, the poor Greeks will help. “This is the fault of the government. It has allowed far too many migrants came to Greece. At the same time it has increased taxes.”, hotel owner Vathis says. “And it is the fault of journalists – whether in Greece or abroad , the reports on one side of the island.”

lg-hec/jph/cw/har/at (AFP)