Why you should go to Greece, Nepal, Iran now

Economies that depend on tourism need tourists and now they will get an extra-special welcome

For some time now tourism revenue has been down in Greece, Nepal and Iran – largely due to official statements and to adverse press reports tourists are frightened to visit these destinations.

In Greece tourists feel that they will not have access to their own money, and there may be riots.

In Nepal the horror stories of the devastating earthquakes have reverberated around the world dissuading tourists from visiting.

And in Iran the US label of ‘Axis of Evil’ has done nothing to promote tourism to this beautiful country.

Yet, in all these countries, tourists will now get a superb welcome from people proud of their reputations for hospitality.

About Greece, Responsible Travel says: "Many Greeks are worried about the misleading images that have been circulating in the media – of empty supermarket shelves, long queues outside banks, stricken elderly unable to withdraw their pensions. But many of these have been taken out of context – and those that are true are concentrated largely in Athens, well away from the more popular tourist areas."

And Financial Times writer Gillian Tett has advocated a Club Med Marshall Plan

Christos Panagiotopoulos, from RT supplier Arkas Travel, said despite the difficulties, Greek people have reacted very responsibly and civilized on this situation."

But while tabloids continue to publish scare stories, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not issued a travel warning for Greece. In fact, with some great last minute travel deals and the Greeks likely to be extra welcoming to tourists bringing much needed Euros and showing solidarity through the crisis, there may never have been a better time to visit.

As Mr Panagiotopoulos says, "Greek hospitality, originated through our history of thousands of years is still here… we never heard of any incident with tourists, or any problems with supplies. In contrast I would say that during this time, we the Greeks understand that we need tourism more than ever. Tourism is the strongest column of our economy and we do our best to support it."

As everyone must know by now Nepal was devastated by an earthquake but now almost 95 per cent of the businesses in Kathmandu are back to normal. Many of the owners of businesses with destroyed buildings are also selling in the streets.

See the video HERE:

Businesses catering to locals say things are back to normal but for those catering to tourists, such as taxi drivers, restaurant and hotel owners, as well as business owners in Thamel, a popular tourist district. For them, business is abysmal.

An official, Mr Shambhu Pathak, from the Tourist Association in Kathmandu said: "Nearly all the businesses that cater to tourists have restarted in the hope of earning money to rebuild. However, the negative news coverage that has been repeated since the earthquake is keeping tourists away.

"Now, most of the tourist businesses are losing money and they have already reduced the number of staff they hire. Tourist traffic is less than 15 per cent of normal, and even when hotels reduced their prices to attract visitors, the tourists are still not coming back."

In fact, the safari and state parks are not affected by the earthquake. Out of hundreds of trekking trails, only one near the Everest base camp is closed due to the avalanche.

Among the UNESCO world heritage sites, Patan Durbar Square was slightly damaged but still open. The Bhumsen Tower in Dharahara was the only one that was destroyed.

The wildlife reserve, mountain ranges and other popular tourist destinations like Pokhara were unaffected by the twin quakes.

One business owner in Kathmandu commented: "The earthquake did some damage to my store which I promptly fixed to restart my business so I could earn an income for me to fix my home and my village. However, the lack of tourists is making business hard."

And finally after decades of negative publicity, Iran has now agreed a new deal with the USA.

This treasure trove of historic sights and unbelievably good food and hospitality is effectively open again for tourism.

The time to see them all is now!

Valere Tjolle

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