2023-07-19 18:02:00
On the contrary, Greece wants to put an end to “poor” tourism. Exit young people in basketball and backpacks who sleep with locals or on the beach. Hello lovers of luxurious hotels with spa, private swimming pool for each room and golf course. All with 24-hour air conditioning.
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Watering a golf course in the middle of August?
The fact that this type of tourism, as profitable as it is, is more energy-intensive and contributes to the climate crisis does not seem to worry the ministry concerned. Nobody wonders if watering a golf course in the middle of August is the right thing to do.
In this case, the Greek authorities seem to be navigating by sight. They also aim to make Athens a tourist destination in itself and not just a passing point. But nothing is planned to relieve the tourists who wander under 40 ° C in what should be called a sea of concrete. The city has only one large park – Royal Park – and a few wooded areas around Mount Lycabettus. The other green points are located outside the center of the capital, fall under the puny square, or small hills with a few trees. And you still have to know where to find them.
For Elizabeth Bargianni, in charge of this dossier at the Athens town hall, all you have to do is download the “Extrema -global” application or consult the “Coll Athens” town hall website to find out how to escape the heat wave. You can, she points out, “see where the municipal swimming pools are”. Except that in Greece, to have access to it, you must have a medical certificate from a cardiologist or a dermatologist. Tourists to fend for themselves. You can also find free water fountains there, but, she acknowledges lip service, “their count is now”.
From Rhodes to Athens, Greece is still burning
The Acropolis, concrete furnace
This lack of foresight, while the country is experiencing increasingly intense and closer heat waves, is particularly felt in visits to open-air archaeological sites, such as the Acropolis, which receives up to 17,000 tourists. per day. The Ministry of Culture has partially concreted it to facilitate the visit of tourists who come by cruise ship. But he didn’t think of the 2.5 hour queue to climb the Sacred Rock without any shade being provided.
It took over 20 faints to even think regarding handing out water, and only now is thinking regarding a staggered visitation policy. Given the urgency of the situation, the Acropolis will now close on hot days during the hottest hours. Tourists who stay only one day in Athens will be at their expense.
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