November 2001

Message of the Tourism Secretary General Mr. Dimitrios Georgarakis to Hellenic Travelling for Philoxenia

Greek Tourism must evolve in stages, without sudden changes, from mass tourism to selective tourism, geared to the needs of the consumer, in such a way that it will limit the ability of other Mediterranean destinations to compete with Greece's unique resources. This evolution does not lead to the limitation of organized tourism, but the qualitative improvement. It is a coordinated effort for the qualitative up grading, improvement of revenues and increase of the tourism period towards Greece.
Exactly this differentiation will allow us to be optimistic about the present and the future of Greek Tourism, in a period of time where crisis is the characteristic in the political and economical international scene and the fierce competition from other travel destinations.
This year's "Philoxenia" will confirm the endurance of Greek Tourism, in both the private and public sector, and will prove that under difficult conditions it can pull through even stronger.
Significant activity for "Philoxenia" consists the International Congress of Ecotourism which will be held in Thessaloniki. Ecotourism is incorporated in the priorities of the tourism goals of Greece, since it combines the formation of a qualitative and multiform tourism product, via the qualitative up grading of accommodations.
The congress and the remaining activities of "Philoxenia" give a new dimension to the exhibition, for which I believe will have a great success this year.

THE AIRLINE ISSUEIN STRASBOURG

The crisis that airlines are going through after the terrorist attack in the United States has worldwide effects and more than 100.000 dismissals have taken place. British Airways announced a 36% reduction of the number of passengers after September 11, and British Midland has grounded eight aircraft and fired 600 employees.
There were intense deliberations at the European Parliament in Strasbourg about whether governments should help the airlines that are experiencing difficulty.
The Delegate for Financial and Monetary Issues, Mr. Pedro Solbes, stated that it is a mistake to pretend that everything is alright, as the European Union is suffering from the slow-down of the American economy.
According to Mr. Solbes there are some encouraging facts, such as the reduction of inflation, that give the European Union tools to face the danger.
During the deliberations there was great contradiction between Christian-Democrats and Social-Democrats and members of the left wing of the European Parliament on the issue of state interference, which the former rejected.
Greek Euro-deputies of SYN, Mr. Alavanos and Mr. Papayannakis, stated that it is a huge mistake to remain so closely attached to the Stability Pact that was agreed on many years ago and under different international conditions.

AIRLINESON THE VERGE OF BANKRUPTCY

The year 2001 is about to be established as the worst year ever for airlines worldwide after the terrorist attack in the United States. Many major airlines are talking about vast profit decrease as well as dismissals of employees, due to the cancellation of flights and the distrust of travelers towards the airlines.
The crisis is now obvious in European airlines as well.
British Airways is planning the dismissal of 7.000 employees, while at the same time they will decrease the number of flights by 10% and put 20 aircraft out of use.
Swissair announced a 65-million-Swiss-franc decrease in profits and Lufthansa postponed the ordering of 15 Airbus A380 and 4 Boeing 747-400 aircraft indefinitely.
American Boeing made known that they are about to discharge 30.000 employees, as they cannot overcome the crisis . This will lead to a 15% decrease of their staff, a small percentage compared to the 30% they may reach.
A number of American Airlines are expressing their fear for the future and have asked the government for financial support in order to avoid bankruptcy.
The American government has already given 24 billion dollars to AMR, parent company to American Airlines, URL, parent company to United Airlines, FedEx and other transportation companies.
Continental Airlines and US Airways have announced the dismissal of 12.000 and 11.000 employees respectively.
IATA has already made an appeal to governments to help the airlines immediately, in order for further financial crises to be avoided.
According to the announcements made by IATA, losses in the field - on an international scale - will reach the enormous amount of 3,69 trillion drachmas.

HARD TIMES FOR SWISSAIR

The big European airline Swissair is going through one of its roughest periods as it is facing major financial difficulties after the terrorist attack in the USA.
It is well known that the management of the airline has asked the Swiss government for financial backup, as its dept already amounts to 4 trillion drachmas.
The situation seems to be critical, as it is obvious that there is little chance for the company to face its problems from within.
At the same time, the value of the stocks of Swissair has decreased by 50% following the course of the shares of other airlines.
Swissair has decided to dismiss 9.000 employees and to offer tickets at low prices, as these actions seem to be the solution that best serves the airline's interests.
Managing director of Swissair, Mario Conti, assured the members of staff that they would receive payment during the month of October as is the usual procedure.
The 9.000 dismissals will be from all branches of Swissair worldwide, i.e. from 71.000 employees.
As regards prices, the airline announced that they would reduce the taxes in economy, standard and business class tickets throughout Europe.
Economy class passengers would have the opportunity to fly to any European destination with 300 Swiss francs or 190 dollars, or to anywhere in the world but Japan with 800 francs, until October 27.

SABENA FOLLOWS THE STEPS OF SWISSAIR

The Belgian airline SABENA is on the verge of bankruptcy. According to publications in the Belgian press, this is due to the Swiss airline Swissair, which owned 49% of the stocks of SABENA but had to sell in order to pay off its liabilities.
Swissair then backed out of its obligation to take part in the increase of the subscribed capital of SABENA, refusing to give the airline 125 million Euro plus three six-month installments of 70 million Euro each.
Instead, it proposed a bankruptcy compromise to SABENA. It is noteworthy that the Belgian State, which owns 50,5% of the shares of SABENA, is participating in the increase of the subscribed capital with 88 million Euro and three six-month installments of 28 million Euro.
SABENA has estimated that this amount will help get over its cash flow problems.
To face this critical situation effectively, the Belgian government instituted legal proceedings against Swissair and is also looking into two alternatives to save SABENA from bankruptcy.
The first one is to move on with the increase of the subscribed capital, a prospect that risks being considered as State support to the airline and thus forbidden by the European Committee if the participation of one more shareholder is not ensured.
The second alternative is to grant the airline temporary credit for its reconstruction.
The President of Belgium Guy Ferhofstand stated that they are going to give SABENA a short-term loan of 25 million Euro, expected to be paid off within a month, "which will allow SABENA to create a new airline".
The Directors of SABENA are already oriented towards the creation of a smaller airline.

INCREASED INSURANCE COVERAGE COSTS FOR AIRLINES

Greek airlines are making an effort to cover the insurance costs of flights, which were increased due to the terrorist attack of September 11 in the United States, with a raise of 3 dollars (about 1.300 drachmas) per destination.
The new prices are valid since the beginning of October in all four Greek airlines (Olympic Airways, Aegean - Cronus Airlines, Axon Airlines).
Cyprus Airways has increased the price of tickets by 5 dollars per destination. Mr. Tasos Angelis, who is in charge of the Public Relations Department of the airline, said that Cyprus Airways is simply following the example of other European airlines, most of which have raised their prices by the same amount.
Insurance companies came to this inevitable decision to increase insurance costs as they believe that any airline may be threatened by terrorist acts.
Insurance coverage in case of war, which includes terrorist acts, has fallen to 50 million dollars from 750 million dollars before September 11. This amount causes major problems to the banks, which have put mortgages on the aircraft and it is doubtful whether they will allow airlines to fly their planes with less coverage.
Many airlines have cut down on the number of flights to decrease cost and made negotiations with their governments to receive state backup.
British Airways has cut out 190 flights per week, i.e. 9% less of its total number of flights. Cyprus Airlines has increased ticket prices whereas Emirates continues its flights between Dubai and Colombo.
British Airways no longer connects Heathrow, London with New York and Boston on a daily basis and has stopped its five weekly flights to Washington.
Furthermore, fewer flights will be realized to the Middle East, especially Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Maskat, Jeddah and Kuwait.
Finally, British Airways has cut out twenty flights a day from Gatwick to Stockholm, Zurich, Gstaad, Shannon, Cork, Goeteborg, Rotterdam and Montpelier.

TURKISH AIRLINES CUT DOWN THEIR FLEET

The General Manager of the Turkish airlines (THY) Yusuf Bolayirli recently announced that they are planning to cut down the number of their aircraft in 2002 due to the decreased demand and to the feelings of insecurity after the terrorist attack in the United States.
"THY, which was going through a difficult stage before September 11 are now facing an even more severe crisis", stated Mr. Bolayirli in an interview.
The airline has already announced its plans with regard to the sale of seven Airbus A310/300 aircraft by the year 2003, after which it will operate with 61 airplanes.
In the meantime the airline has cut out three itineraries, two domestic and one to Thessaloniki.
In addition the connection between Constantinople and Miami and the flights to Chicago have been cut down to three weekly instead of five.
Mr. Bolayirli justified this decision based on the significant decrease of the number of passengers mainly from the USA but also from Spain, Italy, Japan and South Korea.

PROPOSALS BY THE ASSOCIATION OF AIRLINE REPRESENTATIVES

Following the measures announced by Mr. Nikos Christodoulakis, Minister of Development, at a meeting organized with the initiative of the Hoteliers Federation, the Association of Airline Representatives has made a number of proposals, as to how the situation with airlines and the cutting down of flights to Greece can be dealt with immediately.
The Association suggested that
* the committee, which will undertake to make out a list of the problems, include representatives from the Ministries of Transportation, Public Order and the Press.
* the Greek government propose to the Ministry of Transportation of the United States to quash the bilateral agreement about air transportation between Greece and the USA, as it is working against attracting American airlines to Greece.
* the Greek government revise the contract between "Eleftherios Venizelos" and the company "Athens Airport" due to the increased insurance coverage costs of airlines and the rise of ticket prices after the marking up of the cost by insurance companies. The Greek government must cover part of the cost of the tax for the use of the airport, so that "Athens Airport" can reduce this tax for both Greek and foreign airlines and thus help them to continue their flying schedules to Athens.
* the Greek government help out Greek airlines if not with direct subsidies, at least with certain reductions that will help them continue their valuable work in and out of the country.

OLYMPIC AIRWAYS CLAIMS ITS CREDIT

The Board of Directors of Olympic Airways is re-opening the subject of the State settling its liabilities to the airline, which add up to 11 billion drachmas and which have created dysfunction to the airline.
In such critical times this dysfunction is taking substantial proportions and may bring about a much greater cut-down of flights for Olympic Airways.
The liabilities are 3 billion drachmas from the transportation of patients (EKAB), 6,5 billion from transporting members of the government and 1,5 billion drachmas owed by political parties.
As regards the winter schedule of Olympic Airways, the number of flights has been reduced by 12-15% compared to the previous year, especially where transatlantic flights are concerned.
Olympic Airways flies to New York five times per week instead of seven and the frequency of flights to Canada and Australia will soon be decreased by one per week. This way the airline estimates its yearly expenses will be decreased by 4-5 billion drachmas.

SINGAPORE LOOKS INTO TAKING OVER ANSETT

The Australian airline Ansett may soon become part of Singapore Airlines. Ansett recently went bankrupt but after a short period of total abstinence it started flying again, although it was on the red, hoping that it would attract potential buyers.
The situation for Ansett seemed somewhat more promising when Air New Zealand, to which it belonged and which also had financial problems, gave the Australian airline 200 million Australian dollars so as "not to have any legal obligations in the future due to debts, as it was its subsidiary until recently".
The airline that took over the direction of Ansett temporarily states that "hundreds of millions f dollars" are required for the salvation of the airline and invited Singapore Airlines to undertake the management of Ansett.
Information coming from the press suggests that Singapore Airlines is not willing to give such a huge amount to save Ansett, but it is looking into the possibility of undertaking it in collaboration with Melbourne tycoons Lindsay Fox and Solomon Lew.
Among the conditions that Singapore Airlines lays down in order to come to an agreement on the matter is the drastic reduction of the personnel of Ansett.

NEL SOLD ST. RAPHAEL

The Shipping Company of Lesvos (NEL) sold the c/f St. Raphael to JKS Holdings for 700.000 US dollars.
The vessel had been acquired by NEL in August 1988 and was in full service until September 2000.

POSITIVE RESULTS FOR MINOAN LINES

Minoan Lines had total profits of 36,4 billion drachmas during the period January-August 2001 versus 34,3 billion over the same period the previous year.
As regards passengers and vehicles, 24% more passengers were transferred until the end of August 2001, while there was an increase of 3% and 6% in private vehicles and lorries respectively.
These eight-month financial results present a much better picture compared to the results of the period January-June 2001, as they include the profits of July and August, the two months that always show increased financial mobility for sea companies.
Minoan Lines declared its satisfaction and stated that the company has every reason to be optimistic about the course of its finances, as it is about to launch new vessels and to make changes in its schedule in the near future.

THE "STARS" SHINE FOR STRINTZIS LINES

The 14-vessel fleet of Strintzis Lines Shipping Group S.A. has made sea traveling faster and more pleasant for its passengers.
According to Mr. D. Theodoratos, who is in charge of the trade department of the company, this was accomplished with the addition of three new vessels, Blue Star 1, Blue Star 2, and Blue Star Ithaki in the summer of 2000, while the company expects four new c/f vessels within the year 2002 for its domestic lines.
Blue Star Ferries, after the construction of 2+1 vessels in the Korean shipyard of DAEWOO, now has a total of four c/f vessels under construction, as another two, Blue Star Chios and Blue Star Mykonos, are already being built in Skaramangas Shipyard for the company.
With regard to domestic lines, Attica Enterprises got new permits for the following routes:
Piraeus - Chios - Mytilini, Piraeus - Cyclades - Ikaria - Samos, Piraeus - Kythnos - Serifos - Sifnos - Milos, Piraeus - Kos - Rhodes, Patra - Zante, Patra - Kephalonia, Lavrio - Andros - Tinos - Mykonos or Piraeus - Syros - Tinos - Mykonos, and two permits for Piraeus - Paros - Naxos - Santorini.
Strintzis Lines Shipping Group had a turnover increased by 30,5% in the first half of 2001, as it reached 14,8 billion drachmas versus 11,3 billion over the same period the previous year.
In the first half of 2001 the company transported 932.397 passengers, 133.627 private vehicles and 71.247 lorries. These numbers are increased by 16,26%, 22,81% and 3,1% respectively compared to 2000.
Finally, Strintzis Lines operates in the route Patra - Igoumenitsa - Venice with F/B Blue Horizon and Blue Sky, Igoumenitsa - Corfu - Brindesi with F/B Blue Bridge, Andros - Tinos - Mykonos with F/B Superferry II, Syros - Tinos - Mykonos and Donousa - Amorgos with F/B Blue Aegean, Patra - Sami - Ithaki with F/B Kephalonia and Kyllini - Argostoli with F/B Ionian Sun.

EXPRO THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRY

EXPRO S.A. was founded in 1993 by 36 big, established enterprises in the field of Hotel and professional Equipment with the purpose to cover the ever-growing needs of the huge field of the tourist industry.
Since 1994, the first year of its operation, it has been established as the most important exhibition of the field in Greece and as one of the most significant exhibitions in the European world, the East Mediterranean countries and the Middle East.
It has forty-one shareholders and the biggest Greek and international production and trade enterprises of Hotel and Professional Equipment take part in its exhibitions.
The tens of thousands of its visitors come not only from Greece but also from another 35 countries in Europe, the Balkan area and the Middle East.
EXPRO S.A. organizes two exhibitions, the International Exhibition of Hotel and Professional Equipment and the International Exhibition EXPRO CLEAN, Exhibition of Cleaning, Disinfecting, Health and the Restoration of the Environment.
The International Exhibition of Hotel and Professional Equipment takes place in the center of EKEP in Athens (12th kilometer on the national road of Athens-Lamia) in the second fortnight of January every year.
Two hundred and thirty enterprises from all over the world took part in EXPRO 2001 and the number of visitors amounted to 25.000 hotel owners, professionals, businessmen, executives and members of the local authorities.
The next EXPRO International Exhibition, which will take place in EKEP center between 24 and 28 January 2002, is expected to make a record of the number of participants.
The International Exhibition EXPRO CLEAN takes place every February. In EXPRO CLEAN 2001 there were 90 participants and about 8.000 visitors. The second one will be in EKEP center between 22 and 25 February in 2002.
EXPRO S.A. organizes other types of activities as well, such as seminars, financial support of hotels etc.
The president of EXPRO, Mr. Kostas Tsigaridas, stated that the big challenge that lies ahead is the challenge of the Olympic Games in 2004 and that EXPRO is obliged to be the leading force in the upgrading of the quality of the services provided in the field of the tourist industry.
He said, "Facing this challenge we are taking all necessary steps so that EXPRO Exhibitions can present here, in Greece, the crossroads of East-West and North-South all new products for the support and operation of the tourist industry. (...) Our purpose is to make it possible for businessmen to find everything in our exhibitions, instead of turning to various other exhibitions abroad".

ACCOR AND SOFITEL AT ATHENS AIRPORT

ACCOR Group of Enterprises is the biggest group worldwide and a leader in the traveling and tourist industry in Europe. It has 145.000 partners in 140 countries and a turnover that exceeds seven billion Euro.
ACCOR was founded in 1983 by Paul Dubrule and Gerard Pelisson. The president of its Board of Directors is Mr. Jean-Marc Espalioux.
Three thousand, seven hundred and eighty hotels belong to ACCOR Group in 90 countries all over the world, covering all ranges, from low-budget hotels to highly luxurious hotel units.
The Group also has travel agencies, restaurants, casinos and offers a number of services to private companies and public organizations (Ticket Restaurant, Incentive House).
In Greece ACCOR has four hotel units since 1988, Novotel in Athens, Sofitel Capsis Rhodes, Sofitel Capsis Palace in Crete and Palmariva Eretria Beach in Evia. The new 5-star Sofitel Athens Airport is expected to open in the autumn of 2001 in the new International Athens Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos".
Sofitel Athens Airport is the 150th Sofitel of ACCOR Group and the 11th airport hotel of the chain. It is the first 5-star hotel that was built in the wider Athens area after fifteen years.
The construction and exploitation of the hotel were undertaken by the Hotel Company of Athens Airport, which is a joint venture of the Greek construction company ALTE and the French ACCOR Group of enterprises.
Apart from ALTE, which owns 30% and ACCOR with 20%, EFG EUROBANK ERGASIAS also has 20% and the rest of the shares belong to minor investors.
The budget for the hotel reached 12,5 billion drachmas/3,7 million Euro.
The 9-storey hotel is situated only one hundred meters from the central arrival and departure halls of the airport and it is the second highest building after the Control Tower.
It is expected to play a significant role in the tourist industry of Attica not only because it has the latest technological equipment, but also because it offers a high standard of services both to professionals and to tourists.
Its main advantage is the variety and the quality of its nine fully equipped conference centers and its ball room.
It has 345 rooms, among which are 13 suites with a wonderful view of Attica.
Among its facilities one can find
* two "executive" floors with a VIP sitting-room and a special reception lounge for visitors
* a French restaurant with a panoramic view on the ninth floor
* a special room for Board meetings
* two bars, a swimming pool, a gym, a beauty parlor and a clothes shop.

SABRE IS BEHIND ITS CLIENTS ONCE MORE

The General Director of SABRE HELLAS S.A., Mr. Athanasiades, addressed all its clients on October 5 in an effort to show its support to them after the terrorist attack of September 11.
Mr. Athanasiades sent a letter to the clients of SABRE expressing his appreciation that the main priority of travel agencies to help their customers through this difficult period and saying that the first priority of SABRE will be to support travel agents.
Therefore, SABRE exempts the travel agencies from productivity measurements from September 11 till the end of the year 2001. Thus, travel agents will not be held responsible for the decrease in bookings during this period.
Mr. Athanasiades closed his letter by saying that SABRE is honored to be able to support the travel agencies with which it collaborates, as they have offered so much on their part in times of difficulty and assured them that it will continue to offer them the highest services and support to their businesses.

SUPERFAST INFORMATION ON THE NET

The new commercial site www.superfast.com of Superfast Ferries was created by Box Up Solutions S.A. (www.boxupsolutions.com).
At www.superfast.com users can find all the information they need in connection with prices, itineraries, destinations, special offers, boarding procedures, plus the possibility of online booking and credit card payment.
The site covers the Adriatic Sea and the Baltic Sea, where Superfast travels, as well as the North Sea, where the company will start connections between Scotland and Belgium on May 2002.
The site is already available in English and German and is now being developed in Greek, Italian, Finnish and Swedish.

LEMNOS CONGRESS HALL "A PROMIS OF SUCCESS"

The Lemnos Congress Hall is a unique autonomous congress complex, covering 3.200 sqm, in the North Aegean area.
The Hall is located in an exclusive, quiet area, only one kilometer from Myrina, the capital of the island of Lemnos, which offers an ideal combination of business and pleasure.
Its conference and meeting rooms are
* the Amphitheater, which hosts a maximum of 400 participants and has particularly excellent acoustics
* the Seminars and Conference Hall for 100 participants
* the Small Meeting Room for private meetings of up to 10 people
* the Multi Purpose Hall of 300 sqm
* the Main Reception Lobby of 200 sqm, ideal for a variety of social events, and
* the Projection Room for 300 participants
In total, it serves up to 1000 people.
Its facilities include spacious lobbies, lounges and state-of-the-art equipment, fourteen translators booths, four elegantly furnished conference-planner's offices, a VIP room for the opportunity to relax between meetings or engage in informal conversation, a press room, an exclusive photocopy room, eight guestrooms, a restaurant and a complete, well organized catering division, satellite TV, central heating, a generator, and ISDN lines.
The Lemnos Congress Hall is fully air conditioned and has fire protection systems.
Daily boat services connect Lemnos with Piraeus, Rafina, Kavala and Thessaloniki. The new local airport is only 15 minutes away from the complex. There are three flights per day connecting the island with Athens and Thessaloniki. There are also international charter flights to and from the main European capitals.
Lemnos is famous for its clear sea and beautiful beaches and there is a great variety of choices to spend free time on the island.

NEW FACILITIES FOR GOLDAIR CARGO

The International Forwarding and Moving Company GOLDAIR CARGO recently celebrated the opening of its new store-room of 3.000 sqm in Aspropyrgos, in an effort to provide global solutions to its customers.
In this new space there is the possibility of storing 4.500 palettes, an advanced data processing system and modern infrastructure.
In addition to this, the company has founded a consulting department which will help its new customers to "discover" the advantages of Third Part Logistics storage.

HISTORY MUSEUM OPENS IN THESSALIA

The President of the Republic, Mr. Kostis Stefanopoulos, received the freedom of Ambelakia in Thessalia on Sunday, October 14.
Mr. Stefanopoulos visited the historical town to attend to the opening of the new Museum of History and Folklore. The President was also given the Golden Key of the town by the President of the community of Ambelakia, Mr. Agamemnon Zahariades, and the members of the Town Council.
Ambelakia is often referred to as "the diamond of Thessalia" and was where the first co-operative was created worldwide, which produced and traded dyed cotton thread, a fact that led to great financial and cultural wealth. This co-operative managed to set up a network of selling cotton thread to seventeen branches in eight European countries.
The Museum of History and Folklore of Ambelakia is lodged in the Moula Mansion which was transformed by local craftsmen who kept its traditional style.
The articles exhibited are kept in their natural environment giving a complete picture of an old mansion of the area at the time of its peak. In the museum one can find articles from the Greek revolution in 1821 as well as items that are used even in our days in the Greek country.

A FASTER FUTURE FROM HELLAS FLYING DOLPHINS

Hellas Flying Dolphins is trying to realize an investment plan for the launching of four new vessels in the next three years, as well as for the replacement of "flying dolphins" which are obsolete.
Said General Director of HFD Mr. Patakos, "Our purpose is to gradually replace regular vessels with faster ships of the highest technology. We want four new vessels between the years 2003-2005 and at the same time we are looking into replacing a big part of the dolphins which have exceeded their financial potential to bring in profits".
For this purpose the company initially start with two ships at the estimated cost of 100 million dollars until the year 2003-4 and is negotiating with shipyards in the Far East, Northern Europe and Italy.
As regards the financial state of the company, Mr. Patakos stated that it is satisfactory.
Total profits increased by 12% in the first eight-month period of 2001. This was due not only to a ticket price increase but also to the larger number of passengers.

POSITIVE ANNUAL REPORT FOR ANEK LINES

The Anonymous Shipping Company of Crete (ANEK) organized its annual meeting of its directors with the travel agents who represent the company in the countries of the European Union. The meeting was held in a central hotel in Chania on September 21.
The main topics of discussion were the annual report of the company and the planning for the next season.
The conclusion drawn was that the company had a significant increase in transportation and a larger share in the traveling market.
Vice President Mr. Marathakis, who presided over the meeting, expressed the deep satisfaction of the Board of Directors recognizing the contribution of its representatives abroad to the success of the company.
The Director of ANEK Mr. Zambetakis talked about the need to plan for the future and analyzed the commercial strategy of the company for the next season.
The meeting was attended by members of the Board of Directors of ANEK, representatives of D'ARCY advertising company, as well as directors of the various departments of ANEK LINES.

From My Notebook By Connie Soloyanis
* As might be expected, world tourism is in a big mess, thanks to Osama bin Laden. And, as might also be expected, tourism and travel to Arab countries, especially in the Mideast, has virtually vanished.

* Losses to local incoming tourist enterprises in Greece are the millions of dollars.

* Tourism to the Holy Land as well as to Lebanon was dissipated earlier thanks to the deadly violence of Israel, which unfortunately continues.

* In general there is a worldwide fear of travel, with airlines having cut back sharply on schedules. Tour operators and airlines are not sure what measures could remedy the present situation.

* Some would-be travelers from Athens to Chicago (via British Airways)have been advised by the airline to expect at least a five hour layover in London for security checks.

* Hotels in central Athens were overbooked in September due to travelers who had to wait (as long as one week) for resumption of air transportation from Greece to the States.

* Many foreigners living in Athens were shocked to discover there are so many Taliban ΥsuportersΥ in the Greek capital for them to be able to hold protest demonstrations in Syntagma over possible U.S. military reaction to the barbaric World Trade Center attacks.

* Before the World Trade Center attacks, the World Tourism Organization had announced projections of some 1.56 billion tourist arrivals internationally by the year 2020. This is being scaled downwards drastically.

* The death toll at the World Trade Center reads like a lineup of the world with fatalities from some 80 countries listed, including from such as the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia to Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Mexico.

* Worst joke in poor taste from the WTC catastrophe is that American Airlines flies you directly to your office ---dead on time.

* The internet is flooded with jokes and cartoons stemming from the World Trade Center attacks.

* British tourism was slumping to such an extent due to the hoof and mouth disease plus train crashes (and now, added, the New York air attacks), that the British Tourist Authority is preparing ΤcelebrityΥ commercials to entice American tourists to return to the U.K. They are pinning their hopes on such as Bill Clinton. Some veterans of the travel trade opine that Τthe girls in Britain must be desperateΥ.

* In general hotel occupancy in London had slipped close to ten percent before the attacks.

* osses in tourist revenue in Britain this year, compared with the previous year, are estimated at least 5 billion pounds sterling, and hotel rates have dropped by twelve percent thus far.

* In the meanwhile the Brits flocked to Greece in record numbers, topping three million, for the first time, this year.

* Just in case you were wondering, there is a fulltime staff of 30 people on duty on Skorpios, the private island of the late Ari Onassis, keeping all in readiness for any possible visit by Athina, Onassis granddaughter.

* More and more reports are circulating about possible financial chicanery in connection with the Olympic Games organization, with billions of drachmas involved.

* The old ΤdreamΥ of Athenians to become a civil servant as a career has been changed to become a ΤconsultantΥ for the Games Committee at the rate of $10,000 a month.

* The organizing committee has announced that some three quarters of venue needed for the 2004 Games are ready. Actually these are old sites built over a decade ago for European Games, and hopefully, the Olympic Games of 1996. As reported new sites are behind schedule.

* Biggest problem for the 2004 Games in Athens centres on security, especially from the November 17 gang. One report has an ΤarmyΥ of some 50,000 security people being formulated.
Truths in Travel:

* Bills travel through the mails at twice the speed of checks.

* Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

* If you can afford to go First Class and you do not--your heirs will.

* If you look like your passport picture, you need the trip.

* There's a right way a wrong way to do everything. You can tell the difference easily: The right way takes longer, is more difficult and costs more.