Greece wants to reach the record of the pre-coronavirus era in tourism this year. But who will make the beds, cook and mix the drinks? “Hotels, restaurants and bars are missing 50,000 people,” said a report in the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland news network. The report points out: “There are many vacancies in Halkidiki, Crete, Rhodes, Santorini and Mykonos. At first glance, it is surprising that hoteliers can not find employees. “With a rate of 12.8%, Greece has the highest unemployment rate in the EU. According to data from the state statistical service ELSTAT, 603,000 people are unemployed.”
The article attempts to give an explanation for this situation: “There are two main reasons why the catering industry still can not find enough employees. One is the pandemic. During the 2020 lockdown, many laid-off catering workers sought new jobs in other sectors. They are often paid better and work non-seasonally. The result is that most workers who have left do not think about returning to the tourism industry. The second reason is largely the responsibility of the hoteliers, restaurants and bar owners themselves. It lies in low wages and poor working conditions. “Jobs in the tourism sector are not attractive mainly due to the long and irregular working hours that are disproportionate to wages.”
Greece is in great demand
Finally, another article in the German press on tourism, with a reference to Greece. The Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: “Tui leader Fritz Jussen tried to create a good atmosphere when presenting the data for the semester. After the pandemic, he stressed, people want to travel and are willing to spend more money. According to Usen, customers have already booked 85% of the summer 2019 level before the pandemic and on average want to spend up to 20% more money. “Greece in particular is in demand, but also in Turkey and Spain one could hardly find a room at the end of the summer.”
DW – Maria Rigoutsou
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