Greece Tops World Media Travel Lists, Tourism Insiders Fear Snap Polls Will Lead to Bad Press

Mykonos Island, Greece. Photo © Maria Theofanopoulou

Whether it’s in The Independent, CNN or the Huffington Post, Greece has yet again made it into top choice lists as one of the world’s best destinations to visit in 2015, but tourism industry insiders are now expressing fears that snap elections on January 25 will have an massive impact on the market, particularly at a time when Greece was showing some signs of recovery since it fell into crisis in 2010.

Market experts fear that political turmoil ahead of the elections will lead to bad press and that ultimately investors will be put off should opposition party Syriza win the elections.

CNN’s top Greek picks for winter included the stone-built villages of the Zagori in northwestern Greece, the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Pinakates village in Mt. Pelion, the tower houses of Mani, the Megalo Horio in Evritania, central Greece, and the Byzantine citadel of Monemvasia in the southern Peloponnese.

The Independent, which also placed Greece among its ten favorite choices, said confidence was returning to the country, evident in British Airways introducing four new routes (to Corfu, Rhodes, Iraklion and Kos) for spring. The paper even described Mykonos as the “new Ibiza”.

Under the title “Greece is back”, the Huffington Post says visitors are “returning in droves” to experience the Mediterranean paradise, endorsing the islands and particularly “romantic” Mykonos, the “breathtaking beaches” of Santorini and the “natural wonders” of Crete.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) listed the Peloponnese as a “destination to watch” for 2015, citing plans to develop the Tripoli airport and upgrade the region’s rail network.

At the same time, the World Tourism Organization (UNTWO) said tourism in Greece has demonstrated impressive growth in 2014 by 16.7 percent year-on-year.