Plea For Cautious Tourism

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31113, 16 July 1966, Page 5

Plea For Cautious Tourism

(By

GEOFFREY MORRIS

in the

"Sydney Morning Herald”)

JIENRY Miller once wrote that the captivating spirit of Greece would endure forever, even if the country should have the misfortune to be overrun by tourists. He added: “Somehow, almost as if He were nodding, Greece still remains under the protection of the Creator . . . Greece is still a sacred precinct—and my belief is it will remain so until the end of time.”

Anyone who has visited Greece and seen the wild, unspoiled majesty of the landscape, the glowing, almost living, blue light that bathes it, or has stood among the ruins of Phaestos, Mycenae or a dozen other sites and let the past come crowding in, will know what Miller meant.

The country has a magical quality, a surge of pure life far divorced from the “reality” of space-age living; it is a country where time almost stands still in deference to its glorious past. Generous People For the people, life is eked out mainly on the land, where they grow olives and grapes, raise goats for milk, cheese and meat, and tend small crops. They are open-hearted, almost embarrassingly so to foreigners. They are people who are warm and generous. People like Jon Kouis and his family, who farmed at Kato Samiko and who, on learning we were Australians, insisted we share their home, food and wine. | When we departed, our car was laden with grapes, homemade bread and fresh vegetables. They are proud people, like Alexandras Venetikos, of Phaestos, who lived the past as he told us of that town’s once great civilisation. They are fiercely independent people who have guarded their heritage jealously. Now they are facing a challenge, one which most other European countries have already tackled with varying results. It is the challenge of tourism, a creeping flood which can submerge a country’s identity. Big Potential Greece probably has one of toe biggest tourist potentials of all European countries—- > its Aegean islands with their whitewashed villages, its landscapes, ruins, beaches and superb weather—yet it has missed out on the tourist i trade for several reasons. The Greek Government, i realising the financial benefits • which accrue from a lively I tourist trade, has been ! attempting to remedy the I situation. Several years ago i foreign consultants were called in to survey the count try’s potential and they have , now put before the Govern- • ment a £450-million scheme I for tourist, industrial and • agricultural development. It will provide, among other ■ things, new airports, larger 1 seaports and create more • tourist resorts. The plain facts that in

1962 Greece could attract only 370,000 tourists and in 1963 only about 500,000, while countries like Spain, France and Italy were counting their visitors in the millions. Last year the Greek figure reached a record million but it. still has a long way to go to match other European countries. Deterrent

The consultants are confident that their plan will enable Greece to catch up with the more advanced Western European countries. They estimate that within 12 years there will be four to six million tourists flooding into Greece annually. What has deterred tourists from visiting Greece in the past? Probably the major reason was the lack of accommodation, comforts and other facilities which most tourists demand, though improvements have been made. The transport system is often erratic and usually crowded. Then there is the country’s isolation from the rest of Europe. For example, many Australians operating from London on a limited budget find they cannot afford the time or the expense to extend their Grand Tour to Greece. Many Europeans feel toe same way.

Linked with this was the atrocious condition of the main access roads through southern Jugoslavia. Sections have been improved by the Jugoslavs but other unsealed stretches can only be negotiated at 10 to 15 miles an hour in churning dust. In the past there has been fierce rivalry between the Balkan countries but this is gradually being replaced by a concerted effort to attract foreign tourists and capital. Apprehension One feels apprehensive about the effects a tourist boom will have on the Greek countryside and on the people themselves. With it will come all toe gaudy trimmings such as souvenir shops, notices, W.C.’s, litter bins, etc., which have ruined many a landscape before. And there will be hordes of tramping feet. (The Acropolis already suffers from overcrowding.) There will be more money, improved living conditions and modernisation all round. Already things are happening. Greece’s first TV station started operations recently, although it transmits only a few hours daily and over a small radius. There will be other effects on the economy, such as the creation of more jobs and possibly higher prices. There is a serious shortage of jobs at present, which is causing large numbers of Greeks to leave the country. Apart from those who migrate overseas, many working men leave their homes for part of the year to seek jobs in other European countries. “I Love Greece” A great number of these would stay in Greece given better conditions. One young Greek I spoke to summed up the situation of many: “I love Greece. I would like to stay but I must go to Australia because thpre is more work better living conditions and I have a family to support.” He was leaving behind his

mother, sisters and brothers whom he might never see again. It is to be hoped that the Greek Government can find the correct formula whereby it can improve conditions for the ordinary Greek while simultaneously preserving the national character and culture. In the past Greece has been the preserve of a particular type of tourist, usually drawn there by history and often bent on research. Several years ago a survey showed that more than one-half of the visitors to Greece had a university education while the average for most other countries was one-eighth. Two Areas Under the new plan, two areas have been chosen for development, the western side of the Peloponnese and the island of Crete. The Western Peloponnese plan provides for three new airports and the enlargement of five seaports. This area is endowed with some of the finest virgin beaches in Greece and offers immense possibilities. It has a number of major historical

sites, including Olympia, once the most sacred ground in Greece and the scene of the original Olympic Games.

The Crete scheme envisages tourist villages and seaside resorts as well as yacht basins, ports, and airports. Experiments have already been conducted on the island at a pilot tourist village called Minos Beach providing top amenities and service. Crete, nestled in Homer’s “wine-dark” Aegean 168 miles south of Athens, ranks among the most beautiful areas of Greece, largely because of its dramatic mountain scenery and old-world mountain villages. Its two main historic sites. Phaestos and Knossos, were the home about 4000 years ago of the highly developed Minoan civilisation, named after King Minos, shadowy ruler of the Aegean in the days before mainland Greece came to power. At present both Crete and the western Peloponnese are serenely isolated from the mainstream of tourist traffic. The Government should keep a tight rein on developers. It would be sacrilege to turn Crete into another Capri or make the Peloponnesian beaches a Balkan Riviera.