Strapped Greeks to avoid summer trips
With just three weeks to go until the start of the traditional summer break for most Greeks, it appears that more than a third of holidaymakers are preparing to go nowhere at all, mostly because they lack money, according to a survey conducted by VPRC for Sunday’s Kathimerini. While four in 10 Greeks intend to spend some of their summer holiday on one of the Greek islands, with Crete being the most popular destination, 36 percent said they won’t vacation anywhere and 17 percent have not yet decided. Almost 69 percent of the 614 respondents who are staying at home, said they are doing so mainly because they cannot afford the travel expenses. These figures will not encourage the Greek tourist industry, which, according to reports, is suffering another lean year and is being partially supported by an influx of tourists from Balkan countries. Greek hoteliers and restaurateurs in tourist resorts are also likely to be concerned about this statistic: 45 percent of Greeks said if they had the money, they would go to another European destination for their break, as opposed to 25 percent who said they would stick to Greece.
