Climate changes to put Greek tourism at risk

Monday, July 31, 2023

The future of Greek tourism, and thus the economy, is at risk due to the extreme heat waves that the country is and might be experiencing in the upcoming years.

Tourism represents the country’s heavy industry with 25 per cent of the gross domestic product related to this sector and a considerable number of workers depend on the industry, Schengen Visa website reports.

Some of the issues that persist in the country include the transportation systems and road networks to islands as well as waste treatment and garbage management.

At the same time, Greek tourism has encountered a new challenge that is hindering the boom of this industry – the climate crisis which has created a shift in tourist flows to cooler climates and other destinations.

Schengen Visa website has recently reported that tourists are heading to cooler climates, with European destinations that are on the rise being the Czech Republic, Denmark and Ireland.

Temperatures in Greece have surpassed 40 degrees Celsius with increasing frequencies, while the data show that interest in popular Mediterranean destinations has dropped by ten per cent.

This means that tourists are flocking to more quiet environments, unlike the suffocating heat experienced by those in Croatia, Greece, Spain, France and Italy.

Greece remains a top destination for tourists but its position can be seriously endangered as temperatures rise and summers become unbearable.

Local media reports that the country is hoping for tourism to be shifted more into other seasons, meaning that visitors could be more common during other seasons apart from summer, as the temperatures are milder.

On one hand, this is great news for the Greek tourism industry, which was working to have an all-year-round tourism industry but the development of it should be a strategic goal for the state as well as the entrepreneurs.

Wildfires and storms have been the headline of many news publications in recent weeks, as it was reported blazes in many parts of Europe, such as France, Portugal, Greece, Italy, as well as Croatia and some smaller destinations like Montenegro.

Similarly, storms that were recorded in some parts of the region, such as the one in the north of Italy have caused the death of four people and many injured, while damages are considerably serious.

The situation is very concerning for countries in the Mediterranean Sea, including North African countries of Algeria and Tunisia which due to wildfires have reported almost 40 deaths.

The strong winds have further fueled the fires to spread to neighbouring countries in the North African region, due to which, the authorities were forced to shut down the border crossings immediately.

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