So that is where the tourists are!

Everyone keeps saying that tourism is depressed and that it is the fault of the world economy. Everyone is suffering and that makes us feel better here in Agios Nikolaos and Elounda.

My friends, I can tell you (because I was there on Saturday) that Rethymnon is not empty. There are thousands of tourists and they are all outside the hotels using the restaurants and bars. Sitting in a cafe I counted over 400 tourists walking past me towards the old town at 18.30. This figure doubled when the beach road was completely closed to traffic at 19.30.

The bars were charging six euros for a large beer, served with excellent mezedes and a free glass of cold water was served to every customer on entrance to the bars, if you had to wait to be served. Attractive and friendly bar staff smiled and made guests welcome. The prices were justified by the standard of service and small children played in the street with no fear of being hit by cars or motor cycles.

I stayed in a 5 star hotel, which was 30 metres from a beautiful, clean, sandy beach and 300m from the old town. It was one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in anywhere in the world. The management and staff were friendly and attentive and the breakfast was superb. An overnight car park, however, cost me 11 euros (!)

So........

The prices are higher than ours. They have quality accommodation, restaurants (no better, in my opinion, than those in Agios Nikolaos), the roads are closed to traffic in the evening to allow the tourists to safely walk around the town, and they have thousands and thousands of tourists who are all out in the evening spending money.

When we tried to close the town to traffic last year there was an outcry. The people of Rethymnon can manage to walk a few hundred metres to the bars and tavernas in the evening but we have obviously lost the use of our legs. The pleasure of sitting with a beer without the constant noise from motor cycles was probably the biggest difference between the two towns.

One, however, is a busy tourist resort, and the other is Agios Nikolaos.

Don't be fooled. There are thousands of tourists on the island, but nobody wants to come to Agios Nikolaos anymore. The town is dirty and noisy, the beaches are polluted, the traffic and parking are a nightmare and the police will give you a ticket just for breathing, whilst ignoring the major problems of hard drugs and anti-social behaviour.

Perhaps the bar and restaurant owners should go over there and take a look one evening. It would be very interesting to see what they had to say to the Mayor when they get back to this "ghost town"

You can complain and moan about the lack of tourism but if you don't change your attitude, stop the all inclusive hotels in the centre of the town and clean this place up, you won't have any tourists at all by 2012.