Tourists in Greece targeted by protesters demanding better wages and fair working hours
Unions say employees cannot survive on the salaries they’re paid.
Staff within the Greek tourism business say they’re at breaking level, straining underneath lengthy hours, low wages and never sufficient colleagues to cowl the work.
They’re planning protests this week to make their emotions – and calls for – heard.
“We’re asking for a rise of 12% for the following two years, that’s 6% for every year. We’re additionally asking – in 2024 – that the 5-day/40-hour working week even be utilized to us,” Giorgos Hotzoglou, President of the Hellenic Federation of Tourism Workers, explains.
Staff can barely survive on their present wages, he says, as they do not observe with inflation.
Public providers like water and waste administration are additionally struggling to deal with the added pressure of holiday makers.
Vacationers arriving in Greece can be focused in the course of the protests, with employees handing out leaflets explaining their plight at airports, ports and archaeological websites.
Greece’s tourism isn’t rising as quick as comparable international locations
A latest survey by PwC exhibits that though there was a rise within the variety of vacationers arriving in Greece this yr, the nation’s tourism sector isn’t rising as quick as in different Mediterranean international locations.
“Mediterranean and the Balkan international locations as an entire are growing their share of the worldwide tourism market, which signifies that vacationers favor this area for his or her holidays. Taking a look at our nation, in comparison with different international locations, evidently our share is rising, however not on the similar pace,” explains Leonidas Papaioannou, a companion at PwC Greece.
Greece is extra than simply sea and solar
Greece’s tourism officers say there’s a lot to find in Greece past Santorini, the island that’s ever widespread with holidaymakers seking the right Instagram snap.
Greece has lengthy been dedicated to selling sustainable tourism and tackling the environmental influence of journey.
However for the nation, sustainability means extra than simply preserving its world-famous landscapes. Specialists say a special and extra complete strategy is required.
“We have to provide experiences that transcend the normal “solar and sea” idea, the place we at present dominate as a world model. We additionally want to boost our infrastructure and human sources,” says Alexandros Thanou, Director of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).
Extending the journey season into autumn and winter and selling the fantastic thing about mountainous Greece are among the many essential objectives of the tourism business over the approaching years.
