Greek gov't pledges support to 50,000 tourists stranded after Thomas Cook collapse
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E-mail Xinhua, September 23, 2019
ATHENS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Greek government pledged support on Monday to the 50,000 tourists stranded in Greece after the collapse of travel agency Thomas Cook, according to the first assessments by hoteliers.
The first 15 aircraft for the repatriation of Thomas Cook clients will arrive in Zakynthos and Corfu islands in western Greece and Rhodes on Monday, according to an e-mailed Greek Tourism Ministry press statement.
"We estimate that within the next three days some 22,000 tourists will have been repatriated," tourism minister Haris Theoharis said.
Athens has secured the necessary funds to cover the cost of their accommodation and repatriation, he stressed without elaborating.
According to the tourism ministry statement, approximately 20,000 tourists are stranded on Crete island.
The president of the Heraklion Hoteliers Association, Nikos Chalkiadakis, talked of a huge blow.
"The financial losses for the hotels of Crete are estimated in the tens of millions," he told Greek national news agency AMNA.
"Greek tourism can withstand also this test," the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) added in a separate press release, suggesting to its members to keep calm and show solidarity with the affected visitors. Enditem
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