Punctuality and scarcity repel tourists.

The Merkur newspaper publishes an article on its website about the tricks that shopkeepers in Rhodes use to sell their drinks at a higher price, for example. The article notes that “Rhodes, one of the largest islands and one of the most popular tourist destinations, was also the reason for Peter Geisel and his team’s trip to watch the final episode of “Beware of Sarcasm” which was broadcast on the KabelEins channel on July 11.”

But the reason for their trip was not a vacation, but to expose the tricks of the restaurant owners in the historic old town. Their plan was simple. They ordered two small blonde beers to enjoy in the heat. However, what they were served at the first restaurant, they sarcastically called the “Colossus of Rhodes”: two huge glasses of beer, each filled with a liter. Not only was what they were served far from what they had ordered, the beers were also overpriced.

The cost of beer in Rhodes is the same as in Munich.

“When it came time to pay, the TV tester was surprised,” the report continues. “The price of the beer was comparable to that of the Munich Beer Festival. A liter costs 15 euros on the Greek island, so it’s within the average price range for the 2023 Beer Festival (14.90 euros). Peter Geisel also paid 16.50 euros for a small salad. This wasn’t in the catalogue because they didn’t give it to him. Systematic coverage? Even on subsequent visits to the same restaurant when they asked for the menu, they were given a menu without prices. Only when they said it was a TV crew did they get a price list.”

A little further on, he says: “In another pub, the KabelEins team had a similar experience: they were charged €9.50 for 0.7 liters of beer. The fact that the bartender half-jokingly, half-seriously referred to the small beer as “ladies’ beer” was just the icing on the cake. However, the article concludes that not everyone is the same, and many of their fellow restaurateurs are even critical of such behavior.

Water shortage in Greece

Another summer topic from Greece concerns water scarcity. “Tourists can no longer shower! Greece is struggling hard for water,” writes Focus. The publication refers to Halkidiki and notes that “drought threatens crops, and in the middle of the season, tourism, and the country’s ‘heavy industry’. Because tourists must not miss out on anything, locals have to grab running water. Watering of olive trees is also limited. Once again this year, there is a risk of a poor harvest and a spike in the price of olive oil, a staple of every Mediterranean diet. The deputy mayor of Nea Propontida, Charalambos Saroglou, does not deny that low water pressure is depriving some families and some higher areas of water. A little further south, in the picturesque village of Pefkohori in Halkidiki, some tourists cancelled their reservations as early as mid-July. They did not want to face water shortages.”

Despite numerous public appeals and dramatic reports in the Greek media, there are still people who do not care. When there is enough pressure, they water their lawns, wash their cars or wash their yards and sidewalks. On the other hand, supermarkets report that there are advance orders for bottled water. Some locals fear a shortage of drinking water.

Edited by: Maria Rigutso