– ‘Human tsunami’ –
The so-called “human tsunami” has claimed many lives on the high seas, but has also badly shaken the economies of islands that largely depend on tourism.
On some islands, refugee families with young children have languished in appalling sanitary conditions that are a far cry from the images of seaside resorts and beach tavernas advertised on the brochures at the ITB.
Especially on the picturesque island of Lesbos, hoteliers these days often dread the phone ringing, fearing yet more cancellations by would-be visitors who have been put off by news of the human tragedy.
Market research company Euromonitor said some cruise lines no longer stop in Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos island, which recorded a 90 percent plunge in reservations according to the Greek daily Kathimerini.
In the Dodecanese archipelago, the island of Kos saw bookings plummet by 40 percent.
Mayor of Kos Giorgos Kyritsis, in Berlin for the trade show, stressed the European dimension of the refugee crisis, bemoaning the impact of “very negative” images showing refugees forced to fend for themselves on the streets of his island.
