While anti-tourist protests have become a feature in many of our favorite holiday destinations (especially Spain), Britons hoping for a warm welcome this summer should look no further than Greece.
The country I have lived in for 15 years, phylloxenia (love of foreigners), but the British have long been treated particularly well – exactly since 200 years ago, when O Vyronas (better known as Lord Byron) died of malaria in Missolonghi while waiting to join the fight to liberate Greece from the Ottomans. The Turks. Neither the long-running debate over Elgin’s Marbles nor the long shadow cast by Churchill’s decision to turn on Greek partisans in 1944 appear likely to undermine the centuries-old love that binds the two countries.
“It’s incredible how much Greece has embraced and still respects Byron,” says Georgios Papadopoulos, whose family is from near Missolonghi. “Few other countries can boast such a revered national hero who is not from their own nationality. “That’s one of the reasons why we still love the British today.”
Like many travelers today, Byron, on his first trip to Greece in 1809, fell in love not only with Teresa Makri, the so-called “Maid of Athens”, but also with the Greeks, whose customs and traditions he greatly admired. His death sparked a wave of philhellenism around the world, helping Britain gain a special place in Greek hearts. In a referendum held in 1862, nearly 40 years after Byron’s death, 95 percent of Greeks voted in favor of appointing Queen Victoria’s second son, Prince Alfred, as monarch after King Otto of Bavaria was deposed in a rebellion.
This bond was reinforced in the Second World War, when Britain became one of Greece’s closest allies. Even today, if you walk into a traditional cafe and mention Patrick Leigh Fermor, the SOE officer who hid out in the highlands of Crete and helped organize the Greek resistance, you’re likely to be invited to make a fist-pumping toast to the memory of the British war hero. – Packing the raki glass.
True, the UK’s reputation has suffered some damage in recent years from booze-fueled shenanigans in places like Malia and Kavos, but attacks on Brits in Greece are still rare.
“British tourists are still hugely popular here, and because of the Covid pandemic, locals are actually valuing the British even more,” says Enid Monica-Robinson, an English teacher who lives in Skiathos, a ferry port from Loughborough. Mamma Mia! island Skopelos.
He was explaining that in the dark days of the pandemic, while other countries imposed strict rules on British visitors, Greece kept the door open to those coming from England.
What’s more, Greeks, many of whom long for a “Grexit” after the “no” vote in the 2015 bailout referendum was ignored, are generally sympathetic to Britain’s collective decision to leave the EU. “During our economic crisis, wages have been cut to zero and pensions have been cut by more than half, even though it is often the grandparents who have to support the whole family because unemployment is so high,” says Manolis Papadakis. Heraklion. “We were furious and understood why the UK wanted Brexit.”
Last year nearly 4.5 million British tourists flocked from Greek beaches to swim and drink Mythos beer in its taverns. But while demonstrations have become commonplace in Mallorca and the Canary Islands, protests against tourists are almost unheard of in Greece. Even during last year’s so-called “Beach Towel Movement”, when locals protested beaches being overcrowded with sun loungers, Greeks praised British tourists for their support. “British visitors… are aware that we are determined to preserve the unique character of our island and contribute to its sustainable future,” said Nicolas Stephanou, a member of the Paros Citizens’ Movement for Free Beaches.
In a far cry from recent incidents in Tenerife and Amsterdam, where Britons were loudly told to “go home” and “stay away”, Greece is even offering 25,000 “free” holidays to those whose stays were cut short by bushfires in Rhodes last year – more than half of whom were British . “We want travelers to return to the island and enjoy the natural beauty,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said as he launched Rhodes Week, a program giving vouchers of up to €500 (£430) to fire-affected visitors.
“Even in Santorini and other super-touristy spots, it’s rare to hear a bad word against the British,” says Eleni Balatsas, a teacher living in Piraeus. “It’s not a good idea to exclude a certain group of people who contribute so much to our economy; in fact, it’s ungrateful.”
Georgios Kaloutsakis, owner of the luxury resort Abaton Island in Crete, agrees. “Greeks appreciate the British’s deep admiration for our culture and civilization,” he said. “Today, King Charles’ love for Greece grows even stronger, as evidenced by his ‘Greek Flag’ ties, which have caused tremendous excitement in the Greek media. “This mutual appreciation fosters a deep and lasting friendship between our nations.”