Tourists have Nothing to Fear From The Greek Refugee Crisis
The world is watching the unprecedented events unfold as Greece is swamping with refugees from the Middle East and Africa. Today, Greece has become the perfect Gateway to Europe for most of the immigrants who are fleeing the war that has already claimed thousands of lives in both Syria and Libya.
However, as the Greek beaches keep welcoming hundreds of refugees every day, there has been an increased worry among the locals that the current situation is going to affect Tourism in their country.
Currently, the economy of Greece is still fragile and tourism remains one of the most critical sources of foreign revenue.
However, according to the Greek foreign office, there is no evidence to show that the immigrants are going to pose any threat to travelers visiting Greece. To date, there have not been any reports to claim that tourists or even the locals have been harassed by any of the refugees in any way.
In fact, four hotspots have been constructed: at the islands of Chios, Leros, Lesbos and Samos. These areas are far from the tourists and most likely cannot affect their activities. On the other hand, tourists are allowed to volunteer if they wish to as we have seen most of them doing so during the last summer and it really helped ease the situation.
Tour operators have also come out to assure holidaymakers that Greece is safe for foreign visitors to visit any time.
In a statement released from Sunvil, the Greece specialist stated there had not been reports from any of their customers claiming that they have been threatened in any way. Local authorities are doing a good job while they are transiting the immigrants/refugees directly to Athens so there is little if any sight of them.
The other reason you need not to be worried about canceling your trip to Greece is the fact that so far there are no tour operators offering a refund or alternative destinations since the foreign office has not issued a warning for not visiting Greece. The country is still safe for any visitor to visit at anytime and anywhere.
However, a word of caution to all visitors, some of the visitors have time and again being moved by compassion and decided to give the immigrant a lift on their hired cars. If the immigrants have not yet registered with the police by accepting the lift they lose the right to register and you on the other hand might be charged for braking the law. This way, you will end up wasting a lot of time and money so be careful with the way you try to offer a helping hand.