Young Tourist Stabbed On Crete Recovering, Greek Tourism Professionals Express Support

“This is an isolated incident and should not disturb the sense of security felt by travelers in our country,” the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA) said in an announcement on 15 May in regards to the stabbing of an 11-year-old Russian tourist in Hersonissos, Crete.

The child was visiting the Greek island with his family on vacation when he went missing on the night of 14 May. He was found later, near the hotel he was staying at with his family, after being stabbed several times in the back, chest and hands.

Latest media reports said the 11-year-old remained intubated and hospitalized in critical condition in a hospital in Athens but that his life was not in danger.

According to Greek press reports, a 20-year-old Dutch national who worked at the hotel as an animator has confessed to attacking the boy.

HATTA said the crime was “abhorrent” and expressed its full support to the  boy’s family.

Hotel federation to cover family’s accommodation in Greece

The Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers, in cooperation with the hotel associations of Athens and Heraklion, Crete, announced that the cost for the boy’s family to stay in Crete or Athens would be covered for as long as necessary.

The federation described the incident as “unprecedented.”