ETOA: ‘Should People Still Make Reservations to Greece? Yes.’

Rhodes. Photo © lornet / Shutterstock

The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) said on Friday that it has no reports of any vacation being affected by the current situation in Greece. ETOA members are currently handling hundreds of thousands of visitors to Greece.

“We have had no reports of any features of any vacation being affected by the current situation. I am told that on land and sea, all packages are being delivered as sold”, ETOA Director Tom Jenkins said.

“The museums are welcoming visitors, the archaeological sites are open, the hotels are fully stocked, the restaurants are supplied and taking credit cards in the normal way. The ferries are running, the roads are open and the airports working as usual. The sea, the sun and the beaches remain eternally there.”

In its announcement, ETOA answers two questions that are possibly on many people’s minds these days:

“Should people still come to Greece if they have booked?”
ETOA: “Of course.”

“Should people still make reservations?”
ETOA: “Yes. This is happening.”

The association stressed that “Greece remains a cradle of civilization, the home of one of the world’s most popular cuisines and has a coast with over 6,000 islands.

“It is there to be enjoyed. And what evidence we have suggests future bookings are up.”

However, ETOA did note that there is “undoubtedly a problem” for those who are reliant on Greek Banks for cash, referring to the capital controls imposed on the country’s banks.

The association also mentioned that reports that bookings for Greece are down these days, since the announcement of the referendum, “is hardly surprising”, given the nature of the news.

“Tourists buy into a service economy, and no service economy looks good with people queuing at cash machines to extract money. But Greece continues to be a fully functioning Western service economy“, ETOA underlined.