Shot in the foot

Tourism is key to the Greek economy’s survival. It is the country’s “heavy industry” and it is high time that everyone realized it and started doing what needs to be done to ensure that things go well in the sector.

Images of tourists, and particularly elderly visitors, lugging suitcases along the streets of Piraeus after disembarking from cruise ships because striking dockworkers won’t allow buses to pick up passengers inside the port are embarrassing and do a lot of harm to the country’s image.

Companies in the cruise industry are already warning that they will leave Greek ports out of their itineraries in the future if steps are not taken to prevent such phenomena from recurring.

We must stop shooting ourselves in the foot by undermining the only decent prospects we have, especially at a time like this when the delays in wrapping up the bailout review by international creditors have already left deep scars.