Greek Islands May Face Shortages Soon

Despite Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura’s reassurances that Greek tourist destinations are not short of supplies, reports in the media are calling attention to empty shelves and lacking medicines.

Reports in Greek daily Kathimerini and British paper The Telegraph claim that if a deal is not reached soon between Greece and its creditors, banks will remain closed after July 6.

Athens Chamber of Commerce President Constantine Michalos was cited by The Telegraph as saying that there could be “shortages on the shelves” by early next week and tourists could be left without “basics”, adding that shops will begin to close and not reopen “because they are unable to import products due to the bank closures”.

Hoteliers are concerned that the day after the referendum on Sunday calling on Greeks to vote on whether they agree or disagree with the lenders’ stringent austerity measures will find them in a dismal predicament as supplies will inevitably run out, including petrol and medicines.

According to Kathimerini, some Cycladic islands have already reported provision problems, with many local businesses unable to pay their foreign suppliers.

Greek tourism has been the driving force of the Greek economy, with 2014 breaking all records. The Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), meanwhile, confirmed on Thursday, that the number of bookings has shrunk by 30-40 percent in the last few days.