ONLINE travel marketplace Responsible Travel has spoken out against the UK government’s negative travel advice towards Greece and on the media frenzy surrounding the inflated dangers of travelling to the country.
The company argues in a statement that the UK government’s travel advisory, while correct in pointing out the greater preparation required when visiting Greece during this period of economic crisis, however fails to point out the necessity of tourism as an industry in the European nation, which accounts for 18 per cent of the country’s GDP according to Responsible Travel.
Justin Francis, managing director of Responsible Travel says: “One of the best things we can do to support Greek people is to continue to travel to the country, however the tone of the messaging and advice from the UK government, and subsequently the mass media, completely contradicts this.”
“The government of course has a duty to advise its citizens, but the information is given out-of-context, deterring travellers with little thought given to the negative impact on the Greek tourism industry,” Francis adds. “Tourists couldn’t be more welcome than they are now.”
Christos Panagiotopoulos, general director of Responsible Travel member, Arkas Travel, concurs, saying “we the Greeks understand that we need tourism more than ever. Tourism is the strongest column of our economy and we do our best to support it.”
“We never heard of any incident with tourists, or any problems with supplies,” assures Panagiotopoulos, disputing the UK travel advisory which encourages holiday-makers to bring sufficient supplies with them for the duration of their trip to Greece.
A full list of Responsible Travel’s own travel advisory to Greece can be viewed on their website here.
