Following the Cyprus ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva, holiday tour operators are now planning to resume their operations to Greece. a large number of holidaymakers are expected to depart for Greece and the Greek islands this coming weekend.

The Greek National Tourist Office has announced that services are back to normal, and that airports are operating both international and domestic flights.

Nevertheless, the disruption that the Cyprus crisis has caused to the industry is one of the most serious economic problems now facing the new Greek Government. Last year tourism contributed four hundred million dollars (about GBP160 m. sterling) to the country's external payments.

On Wednesday, the British Foreign Office lifted its recommendation that Greek tours be suspended, and left the matter to the "commercial judgement" of the companies themselves. But it also gave a warning that any deteriorati in the political climate could mean a reimposition of restrictions by the Greek Government.

Even before the Cyprus crisis, Greece was one of the many continental countries expecting 1974 to be the worst tourist season ever. Before the season began representatives of the Greek tourist trade had had high-level talks on ways in which to revive the industry's flagging prospects. Their only hope had been that visitors would arrive in the same numbers as last year. But now, even that modest target is unlikely to be achieved.

This film includes an interview by Visnews Reporter, Paul Davies, with a souvenir vendor in Athens.