Greece: 30 million tourists in 2017? Amenities for Tourists 60 Years ago.

PM Tsipras Aiming for Greece to Welcome Over 30m Tourists

I've just been looking at one of the first tourist guides I bought about Modern Greece, "Greece", in the Studio Vista Travel series. It was written by Mimica Cranaki (translated by Neline C. Clegg).

I have the 1964 reprint of the 1959 UK edition (French first edition, Editions du Seuil, Paris, 1955).

We read, on page 184 (several paragraphs sound highly exaggerated to me):

"One of the attractions of Greece is the almost total absence of amenities for tourists....but Greece has discovered the tourist". 

It has taken only 60 years to reach a target of 30 million tourists each year.

Tourism: Handle with care, ekathimerini

"At many popular destinations, there are serious problems with infrastructure and major shortages. A get-rich-quick mentality is also prevalent and dangerous. When it comes to central planning, high arrival numbers should not be the only goal; we need high-quality services and bigger-spending tourists to survive in the long term. The state, local authorities and representatives of the sector need to get together and start planning for the future if they want to avoid serious mistakes and fix the myriad problems that are becoming so apparent right now as the peak of the summer season approaches".


Tourism related: Anarchists vow attacks on British travellers, The Times

"British holidaymakers travelling to popular European destinations have been warned to be vigilant after a militant organisation protesting against mass tourism promised fresh attacks. The leader of a group of Spanish anarchists accused the travel industry yesterday of “destroying” Barcelona and the Balearic islands and vowed direct action. Travel operators said that the protests could escalate and pose a risk to holidaymakers".


Can Venice be saved from its tourists? The Economist 1843 Magazine

"The world’s most beautiful city is being ruined by crowds of tourists. Edward Lucas asks whether it can be saved".


Simon Calder, on the trend to blame tourists for ruining cities