Tourist agencies see that the election of the new Greek government could mean cheaper holidays, fewer strikes and better transport in Greece, according to a Telegraph report. The slump of the European common currency is an important factor, especially for visitors outside the Eurozone. Greece has many visitors from the United Kingdom and the Scandinavian countries who may find that this year’s holidays in the Greek islands will cost them less. Noel Josephides, chairman of travel association Abta and managing director of Greek specialists Sunvil Holidays, suggested that trips to Greece from the UK “can only get cheaper,” according to the Telegraph. The possibility of Greece exiting the Eurozone is not very big, but if that happens, holidays in Greece could get cheaper, according to Nick Trend, Telegraph Travel Consumer Editor. “A new drachma would be worth far less than the euro,” he said. “Independent travellers would benefit most at first because they will be paying for their accommodation in drachmas – as opposed to the prices in sterling offered by tour operators.” The leftist SYRIZA government could also mean that there will be fewer strikes, protest rallies and general social unrest in big cities such as Athens and Thessaloniki, said Josephides. “There will not be any violence because this is a popular movement – people are fed up with the old political regime and have voted for change,” he added. Nick Trend concurred that strikes and protest rallies — “the bane of travel in Greece” — will be less likely than before. Another factor that may benefit visitors is the SYRIZA promise of nationalizing ferry services. “Huge improvements could be made to ferry services in Greece – if they are looking to address this, then that’s good news for travellers,” Josephides said. So far, the political uncertainty of the past few weeks has not deterred tourists who want to visit the country. Bookings for holidays in Greece for 2015 are slightly up compared to the same time last year.
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