Greece insists Mediterranean crisis won’t hit tourism
As the United Nations warned this week that as many as 30,000 African migrants could drown trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe this year, Greece’s tourism chiefs say they’re confident the humanitarian crisis on its shores won’t put Britons off holidaying there this summer.
Newspaper reports yesterday included distressing photographs of the dead body of a boy being carried on to a beach on the Greek holiday island of Rhodes after a wooden boat he was travelling in ran aground.
He is believed to have drowned when the boat carrying 90 others from Libya was smashed to pieces. At least two other people also drowned, despite efforts by locals to pull them to shore.
At least 1,745 others are also known to have drowned trying to reach Europe this year.
The migrants, mainly from Africa, pay human traffickers to bring them to Europe, sailing from Libya across the Mediterranean, but many of the boats are not fit to make the crossing and capsize or sink en route.
Many of those rescued at sea are being taken to Italy to be processed, but some are also arriving in Greece and many are also going to Malta. Newspaper reports this week also showed photos of some of the 24 bodies of the 800 or more who died when another ship capsized, being carried off a ship at Valletta, the capital of Malta, for burial.
Christina Kalogera, the London-based director of the Greece National Tourist Office, said: "The Greek Government is working alongside the European Union to come up with effective measures to tackle the issue.
"So far this has not had any impact on tourism and we do not anticipate that it will."
EU ministers have this week agreed to increase funding for the Mediterranean rescue service Triton and further measures will be discussed at a summit of EU leaders on Thursday.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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