Acropolis Area Beset By Tour Buses, Solution Sought

The Greek Tourism Ministry is in search of a management strategy to ease the congestion in the area of the Acropolis caused by tour buses when transferring tourists to and from the site.

The situation right now sees tour buses arriving and departing at the same time and parking irregularly to service a great number of tourists under very strict timetables. This causes congestion in the area as well as problems for both professionals and residents.

At a recent meeting called by Greek General Secretary of Tourism Anastasios Liaskos, in the area in question, at the request of the General Hellenic Federation of Tourism Enterprises (GEPOET), a management strategy to tackle the issue was discussed with the relevant parties.

According to professionals, the issue is particularly important for tourists that are on a cruise stopover in Athens as they must return to their ship at a predetermined time.

“The common conclusion from the meeting was that the current image of the area did not reflect one of a country making efforts to be considered a high level tourism destination,” GEPOET said in a press release.

Traffic study report in the works

In addition, a traffic study report will be prepared for the proper transfer of tourists to the area of the Acropolis in accordance to the interventions and renovations planned to take place in the historical center of Athens.

The meeting was attended by representatives from GEPOET, Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies (HATTA), Athens Traffic Police, City of Athens, Ministry of Transport, Association of Shopkeepers in tourist areas of Athens, the General Secretary for Tourist Infrastructure & Investments Yiannis Pyrgiotis and the adviser to the Greek Tourism Minister Haris Kokkosis.