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Strikes and protests against government austerity measures, port and archaeological site blockades, air traffic controller’s mobilizations and the recent fuel shortage caused by a trucker strike made Greece the target of critical international news stories amid the tourist season.

The draft law for the lifting of cabotage restri­ctions, drawn up by the Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping Ministry, was tabled in Parliament on 20 July and was pending since then due to the August sum­mer break.

An action plan to combat the situation in the center of Athens that includes illegal immi­grants, drug dealing and abuse, prostitution and the sale of counterfeit merchandise, is currently in the works, according to Deputy Citizens Protection Minister Spyros Vougias.

Athens suffered the biggest losses during the first seven months of the year in regards to the number of tourists visiting Greece, the latest figures released by the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) showed.

While Greece was already suffering a decline in visitor numbers, the tourism sector was tested in July with disruptions to flights and an ongoing strike by fuel-truck drivers that led to gasoline shortages across the country.

The professional yacht sector is experiencing perhaps its worst year as bookings for professional yachts with crew have dropped more than 80 percent this year compared to 2009, Antonis Steliatos, president of the Hellenic Professional Yacht Owners Association, said.

A private initiative aimed to attract domestic tourism back to Greece that will impose absolutely no cost to the Greek government or taxpayer was launched in late July by the Alliance for Greece group.

Passenger traffic during July and August at the three major ports of Athens (Piraeus, Lavrion and Rafina) did not reach desired expectations despite tempting ticket discounts made by shipping companies to attract passengers, the Greek press said recently.

Every Greek island has a special characteristic that works as an individual holiday attraction. What really makes a destination special is when that certain characteristic gains worldwide status… Kalymnos is considered one of the best destinations worldwide for rock climbing. It all began in 1996 when an Italian climber noticed the unique quality of the non-vegetated calcareous rocks and the overhangs and caves with stalactites. The rest is history…

The British are invited to visit Greece and become acquainted with the country’s natural beauties, historical monuments, entertainment and modern infrastructure in a secure environment for visitors, Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Yiorgos Nikitiadis said at the opening of the “Greek beach by the Thames” event in London.