Guardian: “Hollywood Stars Give Greek Tourist Industry A-List Endorsement”

“With a little bit of help from Hollywood stars and – yes – German politicians, Greece is back on the tourist map, experiencing an unexpected boost to its economic mainstay that has surprised even officials,” reports Helena Smith for British Guardian.
The reporter mentions a slew of Hollywood celebrities who chose Greece to spend their summer vacations including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Robert de Niro, Ethan Hawke and many others.
“Ordinary tourists who might have cancelled holidays when the debt-stricken country seemed close to economic meltdown, two months ago, now appear to have had a change of heart,” comments the reporter since bookings have rebounded over the past few weeks despite the negative publicity. The fact that renowned professionals of the entertainment or business sector visited Greece this summer may be one of the most important reasons that this negative image changed-at last!

“Optimism is definitely returning. We really hope this positive trend continues,” said Athens Hilton hotel’s communications manager Tina Toribaba. She also stressed that the luxurious hotel reported almost full occupancy in June and July.
Although Germany follows a really strict policy towards Greece, the reporter says that it is German politicians who gave a boost to Greece’s tourism industry. Many German MPs were snapped on sun-blessed Greek isles in the Ionian and Aegean seas, including Richard Pitterle, of the Die Linke party, Green party MP Beate Muller-Gemmeke, and Erik Schwenkert, who represents the FDP party.