General News
Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
The Ending Summer of tourism for Greece is approaching fast with September on the horizon and opening the country to visitors in July has turned out to be a dud, with far fewer numbers than expected and disappointing revenues, people scared off by COVID-19 and restrictive health measures.
The President of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) is asking the government to extend measures such as subsidizing employers’ social security contributions for employees and allowing tourism businesses to suspend contracts, said Kathimerini.
While eager for tourists to get the economy going again to offset losses from a COVID-19 lockdown, Greece barred those from hard-hit critically important countries such as the United States and Russia and restrictive health measures put in place proved such a deterrent that arrivals were way down.
The tourism group said it hoped visitors would bring in as much as 5 billion euros ($5.9 billion,) a huge drop from 2019's more than 18.5 billion euros ($21.82 billion) in another record year brought to a halt by the pandemic.
Instead, only about 3.5 billion euros ($4.13 billion) is expected and the industry didn't hire 160,000 seasonal workers, adding to the unemployment rate that's expected to reach levels unseen since a near decade-long crisis began in 2010.
Tourism is Greece's biggest revenue engine and brings in as much as 18-20 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 169.56 billion euros ($200.3 billion) and in 2019 some 33 million visitors spent 18.5 billion euros ($21.85 billion.)
But the second wave of the Coronavirus has dampened moods and hopes tourists would come, Greece relying on a 32-billion euro ($37.8 billion) aid package of loans and grants from the European Union to offset losses.
Adding to the woes is other countries, such as Norway, saying Greece is not a safe destination although the United Kingdom pulled back on doing the same, which means British tourists in Greece won't have to quarantine on return.
But just the idea it could happen saw massive cancellations in reservation to get to Greece, media reports said, people reluctant to travel wearing masks and facing tight protocols and the risk of quarantining in two countries.
Germans also didn't come in the usual numbers after their government advised them to stay home this year, the paper said and Greece's early success in holding down the pandemic wasn't enough of a lure when cases shot up again.
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
CLOSTER, NJ – The well-attended Greek Independence Day Celebration in Closter, NJ, took place on March 25, beginning with the Flag Raising Ceremony at Ruckman Park in Closter.
BROOKVILLE, NY – The Federation of Cypriot American Organizations in collaboration with the International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus – PSEKA, the Consulate General of the Republic of Cyprus in New York, present the cultural event ‘Eroon Doxa kai Timi’ (‘Heroes Glory and Honor’) commemorating the 69th anniversary of the EOKA Liberation Struggle 1955-1959 from British Colonial Rule.
While the Prime Minister of the country was in Canada, the leader of PASOK – the third party according to the latest elections – raised the issue of mistrust in the government, followed by the other.
ALBANY – New York State Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R, C-Staten Island/Brooklyn) on March 26 was joined in Albany by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to recognize Greek Independence Day and the 50th anniversary of the illegal Turkish invasion and continued occupation of Cyprus.
ATHENS - Historic member of PASOK and passionate advocate of the recognition of Pontian Greek genocide Michalis Charalambidis died on Wednesday aged 73.