Greece has been a top holiday destination for Brits for decades: from 18-to-30 trips to Ibiza, to family holidays to Crete and independent sightseeing trips to the mainland.  Greece has something for everyone, and is usually guaranteed to be hot and sunny during the Spring and Summer months, though rather windy and less predictable (and with few tourist amenities) from October to March in any given year.

However, as anyone who has seen the news recently will know, Greece is in somewhat of a pickle over its finances.  Years of living beyond its means and of many middle income families avoiding paying taxes have brought the country to its knees, and its second financial-bailout by the EU has been agreed this week.

So what does that mean for the traveller planning on going to Greece?  On the one hand, the only industries Greece have to raise a significant income are those derived from tourism.  It will be desperate to lure visitors to its shores to bring in some much-needed income.  That could well mean cheap holiday deals, with the Greek Tourist Board encouraging tour operators and hoteliers to offer bargains to reel in the visitors.

However, with financial stress usually comes civic unrest: riots and protests are anticipated as the Greek government clamps down and raises taxes to keep to its side of the bargain in exchange for the EU support.  Travellers would be well-advised to check their insurance policies before flying out, to check whether they will be covered in the event of, say, not being able to reach their hotel or the airport due to strike or other industrial action.  Independent travellers ought to be most cautious, of course, since there would be no financial come-back from tour operators in these circumstances.  Also consider which parts of Greece you would be willing to go to: places least likely to be affected by a repeat of last year’s violent clashes seen in Athens, for instance.