Operators slam ‘irresponsible’ Foreign Secretary Hague
Independent tour operators have accused Foreign Secretary William Hague of irresponsible behaviour after he urged Britons visiting and living in Greece to get in touch with the Consulate in case civil unrest in the country escalates.
As the country today braced itself for further anti-government demonstrations, AITO said it was upset at reports that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was seemingly "treating the whole of Greece as a war zone".
Chairman Derek Moore said: "To say, as was reported yesterday, that Britons may be put at risk if the civil unrest in the country worsens, is alarmist to say the least and very far from reality.
"AITO’s specialist holiday companies working with Greece know the situation very well indeed, and they are unanimously reporting that there is no problem except in two very small, highly-contained areas – firstly, around Syntagma Square, by the Greek Parliament in Athens, and, secondly, in central Thessaloniki, Greece’s next largest city. This is nothing new – it’s exactly the same situation as the past three years."
Moore said that "very few" holidaymakers fly into Athens or Thessaloniki. "To claim that Britons living in Greece or visiting on holiday are likely to need emergency evacuation is, quite frankly, ridiculous," he added. "The riots in London, Manchester and Birmingham last summer were on a significantly bigger scale than anything in Greece – yet did the Home Secretary, Theresa May, advise people against visiting the Cotswolds or the Lake District? She would have been laughed out of Parliament had she done so, I’m pretty sure."
AITO pointed out that the Foreign Office travel advice for Greece makes no mention of plans to evacuate British citizens and no particular mention that holidaymakers visiting Greece should register with the authorities.
"The Foreign Secretary should, we think, temper his advice and issue a prompt statement to clarify the situation," added Moore. "There is no risk to British holidaymakers who travel on chartered flights direct to resorts on the islands and Greek mainland and who will go nowhere near Athens or Thessaloniki.
"It would be more sensible of the British Government to encourage visitors to Greece to help the Greeks, who have hosted many millions of British holidaymakers over the years. Tourism is one of the few industries in Greece with any potential for growth, and offers the Greeks their best chance of escaping the current financial turmoil.
"Greece is safe, open for business and looking forward to welcoming its overseas visitors with open arms this summer. Greece offers some of the Mediterranean’s finest beaches, cleanest seas and the unique hospitality of the Greek people."
By Linsey McNeill
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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