The recent transportation problems on the island of Samothrace due to dangerous weather conditions that saw hundreds of tourists stranded for a week, prompted the government to call an urgent meeting on Monday 19th August 2019.
Heading the meeting of ministers at Maximos Mansion will be State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, who will lead the effort to resolve the issue that left hundreds of tourists unable to reach Alexandroupoli on the mainland for over a week.
According to government sources, the meeting will be attended by the ministers for Shipping and Island Policy; Yiannis Plakiotakis, Tourism; Charis Theocharis, Infrastructure & Transport; Kostas Karamanlis, Interior; Takis Theodorikakos, the Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and government spokesman Stelios Petsas, and East Macedonia andThrace Regional Governor; Christos Metios.
Government officials are accusing the Tsipras government of negligence saying the basic problem is that the Kamariotissa port has serious safety issues and that the seabed at the port is also in immediate need of dredging from the accumulated debris and silting, to prevent ships running aground.
Samothrace businesses, which tried to accommodate stranded visitors, have said that the problem harmed the economy in the short tourism season on the island and has dealt a blow to its image abroad, citing high cancellation rates and travel directives by Balkan countries.
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