Greece’s tourism body, SETE, has written a letter calling for extra support for the sector from government.
The letter was sent the day after the government said it expected to see €5bn in tourism revenues this year, down from €18.2bn last year.
SETE called for state subsidised insurance contributions; extending the suspension period for employment contracts to include October and November; extending the Syn-ergasia job retention programme until March 31, 2021; freezing employee insurance contributions to EFKA until April 30, 2021; payment by the state of leave and Christmas benefits for employees in seasonal companies whose contracts have been suspended; and reducing insurance contributions for those working from home.
SETE president Yiannis Retso said: “We knew from the start that this was going to be a lost year. It is probably evolving worse than expected. The big issue in the coming months is the support of employees and companies, so as to be able to enter 2021. And protecting our excellent brand.”