Travel

#Greek travel advice: Do tourists have cause for concern? ITV News

Queues build at Greek ATMs Photo: REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis

Over the weekend, the Foreign Office updated its advice for people travelling to Greece. In short: bring lots of extra cash.

With the country in the throes of an escalating debt crisis, tourists are right to be worried - but with a little preparation, your holiday should be fine. But what else should you look out for?

The money issue is obviously the big one, and the threat that Greece might default on its debts and leave the Euro is increasingly real.

Tourists on the seaside of the island of Paros Credit: REUTERS/Matthias Williams

Will I be able to withdraw cash from banks and ATMs?

According to the FCO, visitors to Greece should be aware of the possibility that banking services – including credit card processing and servicing of ATMs – throughout Greece could potentially become limited at short notice .

However, as long as you bring enough Euros in cash to cover emergencies and day-to-day expenses, you should be okay. At present, withdrawal limits on Greek ATMs are not be imposed on foreign bank cards. but don t rely on this.

What happens if Greece leaves the Euro?

And even if Greece does leave the Euro, changes would be highly unlikely to happen overnight , according to the Association of British Travel Agents, and Euros would likely be accepted in the interim .

Do I need travel insurance?

Abta is also strongly recommending that holidaymakers take out travel insurance as soon as they book their holiday to provide protection should they need to cancel .

People visit the Parthenon in Athens Credit: REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

Will my package holiday be affected?

An Abta spokesman said: 50% of the people on package holidays in Greece will be on all-inclusive deals where the vast majority of their expenses are paid up front.

Capital controls imposed in Cyprus in 2013 did not have a significant impact on holidaymakers because the restrictions were imposed on locals, he added.

Is there any risk of Greece running out of aviation fuel?

In the unlikely event of aviation fuel shortages in Greece, airlines will also be well prepared, and will bring enough over on each flight to cover the return trip.

How about petrol?

Even though long queues at petrol stations are being reported, Greece s top refiner, Hellenic Petroleum, has said it has enough fuel reserves on hand to last for many months, so don t worry about being stranded in coaches. Public transport is also going to be fee until the day after the referendum, according to reports.

Will I need a visa if Greece exits the EU?

While there s a good chance Greece might suddenly leave the single currency, leaving the EU as a whole is a much more complex endeavour, and wouldn t happen overnight. And Greece isn t about to start imposing strict visa rules on the wealthy tourists it is so desperate to attract.

As Abta says: this is an unusual situation but the industry is experienced in handling unusual situations .