GREECE STILL TOURIST DRAW
Travel unaffected by euro crisis
Toronto travel agent Aris Sideratos isn’t shedding any tears over the situation in Greece. Not yet, anyway.
“You want me to start crying? I’m a Greek travel agent,” said the owner of Skyway Tours Ltd., in operation for the last 55 years.
“Believe it or not this is the time of year where everything is sold out.”
The fact is — even as Greece continues to look as if it’s going to default on more of its loans and heads for a very uncertain future — travel to Greece and its sunny islands remains as popular as ever.
“Greece is packed at the moment,” said Katerina Courmouzis, who was raised in Canada and now works in Athens as a liaison with tour operators from abroad.
“We are having difficulty finding space for requests. People are still coming.”
And forget about a bargain. “No deals,” she said.
Other travel agents say the same thing: No deals to Greece. Air Canada’s website shows July flights to Athens around $1,200 return from Toronto — hardly a steal.
Sideratos said he’s had no cancellations in the past few days as the Grexit crisis heated up. “We have been selling these flights since January, December. This is a time when families go to Greece. The weather is so nice.”
Keith Silverberg, president of Toronto-based Suntastic Corporate Travel services, said Greece may be fighting for its economic life, but unless it turns to violence, the tourists will keep coming.
“It’s getting a little more hyped with banks closed so you can expect to see some demonstrations and things of that nature,” he said. “If you get rioting and things happening in the street, you will see bookings cancelled like crazy.”
But, he added, everything remains calm and for most people travelling to Greece, they spend a few days in Athens and then head off to some sort of island tourist destination.
“You have to remember anything that affects the locals doesn’t affect the tourists unless it turns to violence,” said Silverberg. “That happens in any country. The rule of thumb is if there’s violence, people stop going and prices plummet,” he said.
At that point, the question becomes whether you still want to travel there, he added.
The federal government has issued a warning to travellers about being ready to pay for their entire trip in cash, but there have been no concerns expressed about safety.
“Expect long lines at ABMs and a shortage of hard currency throughout the country. Plan to have more than one means of payment (cash, debit cards, credit cards) and ensure that you have enough cash to cover unexpected travel expenses,” Ottawa said in a tourist advisory this week.
Greek banks are closed until July 7 and withdrawals limited to the equivalent of $67 while the Greek government tries to prevent a run on its capital. But those limits don’t apply to tourists.
In Athens, Courmouzis says there is absolutely no issue for tourists.
“[Foreigners] can take out whatever you want, depending on the limit on their card,” she said.
There may be no bargains in this sold-out summer, but next year is a different story.
“The future, you worry about it,” said Sideratos. “As a Greek, you worry about the country itself,” he said, adding he expects a financial compromise.