The financial collapse of the British travel agency Thomas Cook is an unfortunate development for the pan-European tourism industry and, understandably, it affects the Greek market.
The Minister of Tourism, Mr. Haris Theocharis and the Deputy Minister, Mr. Manos Consolas are in open communication with all the stakeholders involved in resolving the problems arising from this development.
An operational center has already been set up at the Ministry of Tourism to tackle problems, such as the repatriation of some 50,000 tourists who have holiday packages from Thomas Cook and are currently in the country.
In this context, as stated by the Minister of Tourism Mr. Haris Theocharis, the process of repatriation of foreign tourists currently in Greece, through Thomas Cook, has already started and the first 15 aircraft are due to arrive in Zakynthos, Corfu and Kos.
It is estimated that around 22,000 tourists will be repatriated within the next three days, the Minister said.
Furthermore, Haris Theocharis underlined that any costs, including accommodation and repatriation of tourists flying with Thomas Cook will be covered, starting from today until the end of their holiday.
The Minisrty of Tourism is at a constant cooperation and communication with the Ministry of Ministry Finance as well as with other relevant Ministries, in order to find solutions to support the Greek tourism businesses affected by this incident. A newannouncement informing these businessesaccordingly will follow.
In this framework, the initiative of the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Haris Theoharis, to cooperate closely with other competent Ministries, aims at tackling effectively all the different parameters regarding the possible consequences of this incident.
Moreover, the Minister of Tourism has convened an extraordinary meeting with all stakeholders of the tourism sector in Greece.
