Cap controls, referendum ‘shock’ take their toll on tourism sector

Greeks also abandoning plans for trips abroad (at least for holidays…)

A “cloud” over Greece’s all-important tourism sector is quickly turning into a midsummer’s “squall” due to capital controls, closed banks and political uncertainty reaching unprecedented post-war levels.

According to the latest figures, daily bookings for accommodations in Greece are down by as much as 50,000 per day! The decrease was cited by the president of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises, Andreas Andreadis, a sector veteran.

Last-minute bookings, in fact, constitute around 20 percent of the yearly total for Greece.
Moreover, the domestic tourism flow has almost evaporated.

As expected, the lack of liquidity in the country, difficulties in bank transfers abroad, some suppliers demand for cash-only payments and the prospect of shortages of basic goods have added to the “toxic mix”.

In terms of Greek holiday makers seeking foreign vacations, airline tickets from Greece abroad are also down by around 50 percent for the July-September period, according to figures released on Wednesday by Travelplanet24 and Airtickets.