An informative and revealing study on the history of tourism in Greece was published in the Greek and English editions of Kathimerini.
Going back almost a century, it shows that in the first few decades after World War II with the country trying to recover from the devastation – both the physical destruction and the human losses it sustained – most Greeks, from businesspeople to the simple person on the street, saw tourism as a major engine of growth, a vehicle to a better future.
As years went by and following the influx of millions of visitors to places that lacked the necessary infrastructure, a debate began to place about the benefits and costs of tourism.
Lately, some have gone so far as to describe tourism as a curse. This is obviously not the case, but there is indeed space for improvement and rules that would lead to a win-win progress the country needs.
For decades the people, the politicians and the media, emphasized the revenue tourism generated, never seriously questioning the possible drawbacks.
