Greek Hoteliers Weary of New Schengen Visa Scheme

Greek hoteliers are expressing their concerns about the new visa regime that requires travelers to EU countries to show up personally at a Schengen consular station to give finger prints and photos in order to obtain visas.

The Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers (POX) said on Monday, that the new scheme, which it says is time consuming and costly, will discourage visitors who belong to major tourism markets — among these China, Russia and Ukraine — from traveling to Greece, as they will opt for “friendlier” non-Schengen destinations.

According to the federation, the number of visa applications in the first weeks of the regulation’s implementation have dropped. POX estimates that this is bound to have an impact in the number of arrivals for the rest of 2015 and into 2016.

The country’s hoteliers are calling on the government to increase the number of Visa Centers, assign additional specialized staff and improve and accelerate the services offered in order to be able to cope with the increased number of applications expected at the beginning of the year.