The Acropolis ©http2007
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During these troubled economic times, Greece is becoming more and more reliant on tourism dollars to keep its economy up and running. Historically, tourism in the country has accounted for a whopping 18 percent of its total GDP. But because Greece is a part of the euro zone, it cannot devalue its currency to make tourism more affordable and the country reminans relatively expensive compared with rivals such as Turkey.
And government cutbacks have had a very negative impact on the running and preservation of Greece’s world class ancient landmarks. In November the union representing security guards at museums and archaeological sites in Greece almost shut down all the monuments in a dispute with the culture and tourism ministry about overtime pay.
Culture and tourism minister Pavlos Yeroulanos stated that the government is doing its best to protect Greece’s heritage in light of recent budget cuts.
“We have seen a 35 percent cut in our budget since 2009, forcing us to do more with much less… and to set new priorities.”
Unfortunately, new projects Greece is using to attract foreign investment, could be damaging unseen archaeological heritage. The government is allowing hasty construction of roads and hotels, and even though under Greek law, archaeologists must carefully excavate, record and preserve the artifacts that are uncovered during routine construction, economic pressures are forcing them to perform much faster and artifacts could be slipping through the cracks.
Greece is struggling to preserve and protect its past while still ensuring that the country can have a viable economic future.
Read more at Yahoo News.