The leader of the main opposition New Democracy (ND), Antonis Samaras, criticized the government following a visit to the town of Kalamata in southern Peloponnese, Greece on Sunday, saying the town’s shops shouldn’t be closed when cruise ships are in town. “As you remember, we abolished the cabotage and the cruise ships came. Now the ships are here, the stores are closed and 2,000 tourists who could have shopped here in Kalamata, in any region of the country, cannot do it. This is a big mistake,” Samaras said. “I hope tourists, who reached record numbers thanks to battles fought by the previous government over this, will continue to arrive, because so far it is the only hope for economic growth. Because no one is talking about the economy and growth,” he added. (source: ana-mpa)