Like the weather, predicting this season's tourism climate has become a major topic in kafenia and cafés across our townships, the cause of much knuckle banging and raised voices.

Of course, it all relates back to the country's dire financial situation, and, depending on who you listen to, we can be in for a season of storms or sunshine.  

Euro MP Spyros Danellis, former Mayor of Hersonissos, a member of the EU's tourism committee, said that tourism is in a "deep crisis," but not only because of the current economical problems.

"As I have often said in the past, the deep crisis that Greek tourism is experiencing is due to structural problems of the tourist model of growth and development we have followed," he stated. "The current recession has worsened this negative situation, while I believe that the provocative and malicious publications of some European press influence very little our probable visitors. All this, gives the possibility to big tour operators to have a field day and to further blackmail for a bigger reduction of prices."  He added that the solution is to improve and merchandise all our comparative advantages and to properly present and market an entire range of thematic/alternative tourism.

"For Crete, the top of the list can be headed by:  culture, nature and the Cretan diet/nutrition," he said.

Malia Mayor Kostas Lagoudakis, who personally attended the Berlin Tourism Exhibition to oversee his township's efforts, said: The sun of the new tourist period rises with pale rays, mainly because of structural problems and due to the economic crisis that has begun creeping into the real economy, and which will intensify in the next months."

Hersonissos in Berlin

 While at the exhibition, Mr. Lagoudakis managed to corner Mrs. Angela Gerekou, vice minister of tourism, and press her on the subject of one of the township's nemesis, the illegal rentals of quads, which he insisted is the obligation of her ministry to legislate, at last, a decision pending from 2005.

"Added to this is the matter of confronting and managing the young visitors in July and August, as they are told that Malia is a place of promiscuity, which we will be addressing with representatives of the special police unit ELAS, local institutions and the British Consul Mrs. Claire Fragaki."

In spite of the problems, Mr. Lagoudakis said that Cretan tourism will be about the same as last year, and then added, optimistically: "There is a faint hope that Russian visitors will increase."