Ouzo still flows for tourists in Greece as the country braces itself for potential record arrivals this year despite tottering on the brink of euro exit.
Tourists are exempt from restrictions on withdrawals from cash machines unlike Greek nationals who have to do with a daily capping of €60.
The restrictions, along with the closure of banks, came into force last Monday as the country headed towards a referendum on bailout conditions that could seal Greece’s fate in the eurozone.
But the financial turmoil seems to have had little impact on tourism with large operators like Orange and Hamilton reporting business as usual for the thousands of Maltese travellers who have booked their holiday to Greece.
Martin Degiorgio, managing director Orange Travel Group, said there were no capital controls on tourists using cash machines to withdraw money using their bank cards. Credit cards could also be used.
He said the company had some 1,000 bookings for holidays in Greece this summer and hundreds more who booked cruises with stops in Greek ports.
“The Greek tourist market is not expecting cancellations and the country has remained a popular destination with Maltese travellers throughout the crisis that has now dragged on for more than five years,” Mr Degiorgio said.
The country has remained a popular destination with Maltese travellers throughout the crisis
Greece remains a safe country for tourists and the islands to where Orange operates are isolated from the political turmoil, he added.
A similar sentiment was expressed by Joe Borg, a spokesman for Hamilton Travel. “It is business as usual for us and we only had one person phoning in asking about the situation in Greece.”
But for Orange’s Greek branch the situation is different since the operation is hampered by the capital controls introduced this week.
The branch experienced a drop in holiday bookings by Greeks over the past few weeks as uncertainty over the country’s future direction took hold.
Mr Degiorgio said much depended on the outcome of Sunday’s referendum but insisted Orange was in Greece for the long term.
“We are worried because the situation keeps changing by the hour... but we started operating in Greece four years ago at a time when the crisis was already there and bookings had been constant.”
The situation is likely to get worse for Orange’s Greek branch if the country leaves the euro and adopts the drachma. Mr Degiorgio said contracts in euro by the Greek subsidiary with cruise companies would become more expensive because of the devaluation.
But there will be a silver lining because Greece would become cheaper for visitors, he added.
A Maltese tourist in Athens told this newspaper on Monday the situation in Athens was calm despite the queues at cash machines.
Meanwhile, the European Banking Federation, an organisation with members in 32 European countries, yesterday expressed “its strong desire” for Greece to remain a member of the euro area.
The EBF urged Greece and creditor countries and institutions to overcome their differences in the interest of Europe’s prosperity.
kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com