Greek unrest punctures bookings – but Sunvil says holidaymakers are unaffected

The civil unrest in Greece has affected holiday bookings to the destination from the UK by 15%, according to The Co-operative Travel.

The company analysed over 130,000 holidays booked this week and found Brits turning away from the traditional holiday hotspot, prompted by TV and newspaper reports of rioting in the streets of Athens.

Instead they are looking to Spain and Portugal, which have seen a rise of 15% and 20% respectively on the week compared to the same week last year.  Malta also saw an enormous 32% increase in late bookings.

The blow to the Greek tourism economy is all the more bitter as the destination was faring well until the public unrest, picking up business from travellers cautious about travelling to Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt after the Arab Spring.

Greece’s booking volumes were up 3% on 2010 and spending on Greek holidays was up 7%, according to The Cooperative Travel.

But the fall in business will hit Greece as the worse time, just as late summer bookers get their act together. Greek holidays normally account for 16% of these sales.

The Cooperative Travel says the price for Greek holidays has also fallen, with the average per person price being paid this week falling to £530, from a previous average of £600.

Managing director of The Co-operative Travel Mike Greenacre said: “The total holiday market is holding steady and in recent weeks has shown signs of good growth.

“However, events this year have really shaken public confidence in certain countries.  People don’t want to gamble with their holiday and North African destinations and now Greece have suffered as a result.

“With people feeling like their options are being squeezed, Spain and Portugal are the obvious alternatives for a good value summer break.  These countries are not without their own economic problems, so the significant increase in visitors to the region will come as a relief to its very important tourism sector.”

But Greece specialists Sunvil say the political turmoil should not affect UK holidaymakers.

On the operator’s website, a statement says: “We have fielded a number of calls recently from clients nervous about how the current Greek economic woes will affect their holiday. The simple answer is that we doubt very much you will notice any change.

“A country in economic difficulties is not like a company or person in the same situation. Even in the worst-case scenario – which would mean Greece defaulting on its sovereign debt (the nation-state equivalent of bankruptcy) – life will carry on. The Greek people’s personal circumstances will doubtless be adversely affected with higher taxes and public sector cuts (sounds familiar!) but this should not impact visitors.

The statement continues: “One effect already seen has been an increase in public demonstrations and strikes, on a similar level to last year when none of our clients were affected. These political demonstrations take place in the centre of major cities such as Athens or Thessaloniki – they will not affect the islands or seaside resorts.

“Strikes are always a risk in Greece and we have dealt with many over the past 36 years, many of which our customers were unaware had even taken place. They are most likely to affect public sector workers, banks and transport. In the event of a threatened strike which may affect your trip, we will be carefully monitoring the situation and will take precautionary action should we feel it necessary.”