Greek tourism hit by recession but still seen as recovery hope

It's 10pm on a Friday and the main drag of Laganas – party resort, hedonists' delight, Greek playground par excellence – is alive with the sound of music. Above the hubbub, a group of inebriated young Britons – many in "I love Zante" hotpants and T-shirts – unsteadily make their way up the street chanting: "It's full of shit, it's full of shit."

It seems hard to believe that this is what they are screaming until my eye catches a rep at the head of the pack who, arms flailing, is clearly encouraging the shouting. Further down the neon-lit drag, another Briton, in schoolboy's shirt and tie, lies in a drunken heap outside a bar. He smiles helplessly as a Gypsy girl, selling trinkets, chastises him.

Surveying the scene from ceramics shop she has run for the past 25 years, Vasso Georgiadou heaves a sigh of resignation. "When they don't drink they are such good kids," she says, adding that by the time the sun rises "there'll be hundreds of them" wandering the resort in a drunken stupor. "But it's not only their fault. Unfortunately, this is the tourism we Greeks have tolerated, we Greeks have gone out of our way to create, even at a time when we are in such economic difficulty."

Just as in Corfu, Rhodes, Kos and Crete, the once peaceful village of Laganas has managed to scale new heights in debauchery. This year, the holiday season opened not only with predictable lewdness but with the murder of a British teenager stabbed to death by a local taxi driver. Though deeply remorseful, the 21-year-old says he was driven partly by rage over the behaviour of Britons visiting the island they call Zante but which Greeks know as Zakynthos.

"This is not the best image, but then Laganas is not Greece ," says George Nikitiadis, deputy minister of culture and tourism. "Many times it is the system, the tour operators who co-ordinate these bar crawls, which makes these kids act in this way. It's a pity because we don't want tourists to leave with this experience. Our country has so much more to offer."

So where has the tourism industry in Greece gone wrong? Without a moment's hesitation, Nikitiadis – born in New York to a Greek waiter and babysitter mother before settling in Athens – shoots back. "The sector went wrong in every way that Greece went wrong," he counters, looking up at the Acropolis framed in the window of his sixth-floor Athens office. "There was no strategy, no methodology, no preparation, no business plan. The markets, the tour operators, the travel agencies, the airlines, they all came to us. We didn't go to them. I am not even sure we knew how to.

Greek tourism hit by recession but still seen as recovery hope ...

Country's economic troubles and taxi drivers' strike result in fall in visitors, crippling the important tourism sector

It's 10pm on a Friday and the main drag of Laganas – party resort, hedonists' delight, Greek playground par excellence – is alive with the sound of music. Above the hubbub, a group of inebriated young Britons – many in "I love Zante" hotpants and T-shirts – unsteadily make their way up the street chanting: "It's full of shit, it's full of shit."

It seems hard to believe that this is what they are screaming until my eye catches a rep at the head of the pack who, arms flailing, is clearly encouraging the shouting. Further down the neon-lit drag, another Briton, in schoolboy's shirt and tie, lies in a drunken heap outside a bar. He smiles helplessly as a Gypsy girl, selling trinkets, chastises him.

Surveying the scene from ceramics shop she has run for the past 25 years, Vasso Georgiadou heaves a sigh of resignation. "When they don't drink they are such good kids," she says, adding that by the time the sun rises "there'll be hundreds of them" wandering the resort in a drunken stupor. "But it's not only their fault. Unfortunately, this is the tourism we Greeks have tolerated, we Greeks have gone out of our way to create, even at a time when we are in such economic difficulty."

Just as in Corfu, Rhodes, Kos and Crete, the once peaceful village of Laganas has managed to scale new heights in debauchery.This year's holiday season has opened not only with predictable lust, but with the murder of a British teenager stabbed to death by a local taxi driver. Although deep remorse, 21 years says he was driven in part by the rage on the behavior of Britons who visit the island they called Zante, but know that the Greeks Zante.

"This is not the best picture, but then Laganas is not Greece," said George Nikitiadis, vice-minister of culture and tourism. "Many times it is the system, tour operators coordinate these bars ramp, which makes these children act this way.It's a shame because we do not want tourists to go with that experience. Our country has so much to offer. "

So where is the tourism industry in Greece went wrong? Without a moment's hesitation, Nikitiadis - born in New York to a server Greek and custodial mother before moving to Athens - shoots back. "The industry has gone wrong in every way that Greece has gone wrong," he opposes, looking at the Acropolis framed in the window of his sixth floor office in Athens. "There was no strategy, no methodology, no preparation, no business plan. The markets, the tour operators, the travel agencies, the airlines, they all came to us. We didn't go to them. I am not even sure we knew how to.

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