Notorious resorts less rowdy
The traditionally rowdy seaside resorts of Faliraki on Rhodes, Malia on Crete and Lagana on Zakynthos are much quieter this year, with hardly any reports of sexually explicit antics by drunken Britons, experts in the tourism industry have said. The shift reportedly has been welcomed by most local businesses, while others who thrived on selling cheap alcohol to foreign tourists are said to have been hard hit. As for the reasons for the absence of rowdy visitors, some blame it on a general slump in the tourism sector. «The main reason is the general downturn in tourism this summer, rather than any specific measures,» said the head of the Lagana hoteliers’ association, Christina Petradi. Policemen on Zakynthos have a different outlook. «Police checks have been intensified in certain areas,» a spokesman for the police on the Ionian island said. «The raids are conducted regularly and target businesses that have been aggravating the problem,» the officer said, referring to bars and clubs offering doctored alcohol at cheap prices to attract punters. According to Yiannis Papadakis, the vice president of the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (HATTA), the situation has also calmed down in the Cretan resort of Malia and Faliraki on Rhodes, which had serious issues with rowdy Britons until last year. «We haven’t had such problems this year so far but that might change,» said Papadakis, noting that the relatively low turnout of British visitors was being attributed, at least in part, to the World Cup, which drew thousand of Europeans to South Africa. Papadakis also noted that many foreigners who usually holiday in Greece had this year opted for Turkey, which is generally cheaper.
