The economic crisis in Greece is one of Germany’s biggest concerns, however, they do not seem to be discouraged by this situation when choosing their holiday destination. Statistics show the increase of German tourists visiting Greece for their summer holidays has almost doubled since last year. A number of Germans are now thinking of their summer holidays, while several have already booked them long ago. But is Greece still such a popular destination for Germans as it was before the crisis broke out? Let’s not forget that about 2.5 million Germans visit Greece every year.
At Cologne airport, a woman waiting in the queue to give her luggage, is flying to Dubrovnik, Croatia: “At this stage I would not like to go to Greece because I’m feeling a bit insecure. It was announced that on Rhodes and Crete there may be power cuts. For this reason I am cautious”. The same woman said, ”Last year, I visited Crete and was excited”. Another traveler, departing for Sardinia, said that he had been on Patmos with his wife in springtime: “The islands are not affected the same by the crisis, as in Athens. We had a great time. Although, prices are higher now than last year, the people were nice, maybe nicer than in the past. “
Alexander Tsent who has a travel agency at the airport of Cologne, said that the demand of tourists for Greece has not decreased. He finds that prices are more or less the same and adds “People ask about the economic situation in Greece and whether it is wise to visit the country at the present, and we do not discourage them. The situation is similar to last year’s. People prefer to spend their summer holidays in Greece”. His optimism about the tourist season and the interest of Germans in Greece expressed Panagiotis Skordas, head of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (EOT) in Germany. “The weather in Greece is good and Germans choose our country as their holiday destination. There has been a 12% rise of German tourists in Greece this year so far”.
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