Arab unrest puts spring in greece's tourism step

The struggling Mediterranean countries of Greece, Spain and Portugal are seeing a jump in tourism as visitors who might have opted for destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia are opting for alternative "sun, sea and sand" locations that they perceive to be safer amid the Arab spring.

Thomas Cook reported that summer bookings for Greece were 13% higher than a year ago, while bookings for the Spanish hotspots of the Balearic and Canary islands were up 22% and 11% respectively.

A spokesman for TUI Travel, the owner of Thomson and First Choice, said the two brands had "seen strong demand for holidays to Greece and Portugal and a resurgence in holidays to mainland Spain, the Canary islands and the Balearics". As a result, the group is increasing the number of holidays it is offering in the Canary islands over the summer by 10%.

The surge in tourists will bring some comfort to countries that are pushing themselves even harder as holiday destinations in the hope of alleviating financial woes.

Source: Guardian.co.uk