Tourist information

This is a genuine letter from a visitor to our area last week, which was sent to their tour company. Greek translation is below for the benefit of those who are responsible for these employees.

"We wished to ask about a bus timetable to use buses from Ammoudara to Agios Nikolaos as you suggested was possible, a time table was grudging given but I needed to know where we caught it from AN back again, given the one way system we couldn’t assume we’d catch it where we got off, and as it would be dark it was important we knew for sure, though if stuck we could have used a taxi. She sneeringly told me ‘the bus station’ well I didn’t know A N had a bus station, York doesn’t for example. She could have politely, helpfully, on a map shown us where. In the event we drove in, but in other countries we’ve enjoyed using local buses to get about. I also asked about locations, days etc of local markets but she really couldn’t be bothered. There were other things I’d intended ask such as where the museums were in A N (your info gives opening times but not the street they are on) boat trips other than Spinalonga and other sites, attractions etc. as there weren’t many info leaflets about, but she was much more interested in chatting with her colleague. Her whole manner was very supercilious, very off putting. Lancaster Tourist office has just won an award for the way it dealt with mystery ‘shoppers’ on the phone in the office – well she would certainly have failed! Everyone else we encountered was very friendly and helpful. The one person we would have expected to be was very disdainful."

Θέλαμε να ρωτήσω κάτι σχετικά με ένα λεωφορείο χρονοδιάγραμμα για την χρήση από τα λεωφορεία στην Αμμουδάρα ΑΝ όπως αναφέρατε ήταν δυνατό, ένα χρονοδιάγραμμα φειδωλος ήταν δεδομένη, αλλά χρειάζεται να γνωρίζουμε πού θα αλιεύονται από ΑΝ πάλι, λόγω του συστήματος έναν τρόπο που δεν θα μπορούσαμε να Υποθέτω ότι θα έπαιρνα αλιευμάτων όπου θα ξεκινήσει, και όπως θα ήταν σκούρα ήταν σημαντικό γνωρίζαμε για σίγουρος, αν και αν κολλήσει θα μπορούσαμε να είχαμε χρησιμοποιήσει ταξί. Είναι εμπαικτικώς μου είπε "η στάση του λεωφορείου" και δεν ήξερα AN είχε ένα σταθμό λεωφορείων, δεν Υόρκη για παράδειγμα. Εκείνη θα μπορούσε να ευγενικά, χρήσιμο, σε ένα χάρτη, όπου εμφανίζεται μαζί μας. Σε περίπτωση που οδήγησε στην, αλλά και σε άλλες χώρες έχουμε απολαμβάνουν τη χρήση των τοπικών λεωφορείων να κυκλοφορώ. Ζήτησα επίσης από περίπου θέσεις, ημέρα κλπ των τοπικών αγορών, αλλά πραγματικά δεν θα μπορούσε να ενοχληθεί. Υπάρχουν άλλα πράγματα που θα είχε σκοπό να ζητήσει όπως τα μουσεία, όπου ήταν σε ένα (σου δίνει πληροφορίες φορές, αλλά δεν το άνοιγμα του δρόμου για τους), εκτός από πλοίο ταξίδια Σπιναλόγκα & άλλες τοποθεσίες & αξιοθέατα κτλ όπως δεν υπήρχαν πολλές πληροφορίες φυλλάδια περίπου, αλλά ήταν πολύ πιο ενδιαφέρονται να συζητάτε με τον συνάδελφό του. Το σύνολο υπεροπτικός τρόπο ήταν πολύ, πολύ απωθητικός. Lancaster Τουριστικά γραφεία μόλις κερδίσει ένα βραβείο για τον τρόπο με τον οποίο αντιμετωπίζονται με μυστήριο "αγοραστές" σχετικά με το τηλέφωνο στο γραφείο - και αυτή είναι βέβαιο ότι θα έχουν αποτύχει! Όλοι οι άλλοι που συναντήσαμε ήταν πολύ φιλικό και χρησιμο. Το ένα άτομο θα πρέπει να αναμένεται ότι θα ήταν πολύ περιφρονητική.

And we ask why we have no tourism ...........

This is not the first complaint about the staff in Tourist Information. Who do they think they are? Should they be fired and replaced with someone who understands the idea of "customer service"? Someone who can do this job correctly?

I think so ........

What do you think Mr Vardas ?

Dead end

The picture on Vassilakis blog of a sign reading "Dead End" was a great comment.

When returning visitors from Athens are targeted by the police for parking tickets (Anatoli), the season is expected to last until 18/08/09, we have turds floating in the sea and half the town is not being paid or collecting IKA stamps, it is no wonder that the more intelligent ones among us are preparing to leave.

Already many people who have supported the economy of Agios Nikolaos for many years have decided to leave the area. Even natives of the area, born and bred in Agios Nikolaos, are leaving because there is no work for them and no future for their children.

A financial expert from the U.K has recently left for Portugal because he sees no future for his child in Agios Nikolaos. Prices (the highest in Greece) have driven away the retired people and the businesses can no longer afford to pay their rents. One of my friends is leaving, taking his business to another area. Disillusioned with the lack of planning and modern thinking in this town. He spends over 60,000 euros a year in this town, all of which comes from outside Greece and is injected into the local economy. Just these two people leaving Agios Nikolaos have reduced the money taken by shops by over 100,000 euros per year.

It is too late now. Too late because of the talking, the delays, the lack of action, the lack of vision, the lack of control of noise pollution, the lack of control of parking, the dirty beaches, and most of all because of the old men who are controlling the town with ideas that were out of date in 1980.

This town is dead, and it is the end. Have fun, because, along with many other people, I won't be here to sit by the hospital bed to watch your tourism take its last dying breath.