Holidaymakers with plans to travel to Greece have been advised by banks to ensure that they take sufficient cash on the trip. Bank officials say the ready cash would be handy in the event that Greek banks are forced to stop providing bills at tellers or ATMs.
For their part travel agencies say they haven’t so far cancelled any trips to Greece as a result of the debt crisis. However they point out that some concerned Finnish nationals in Greece have called officials asking for guidance in the current circumstances.
"There have been some inquiries, however it looks like Finns have remained relatively calm," said Anita Palosvirta, communications chief for tour operator Aurinkomatkat.
The communications team at another tour operator, Finnmatkat, said that they haven’t called off any visits either. The company noted that its customers have been asking about taking cash with them.
The travel agencies are advising their customers to follow the guidelines provided by the Finnish Foreign Ministry, which is also calling on travelers to ensure they have sufficient cash. The ministry pointed out that it won’t necessarily be possible to pay for goods and services everywhere with debit or credit cards.
Ministry: File a travel notification
In a travel advisory issued early last week, ministry officials advised vacationers to ensure that they had comprehensive travel insurance covering the duration of their trip. They also recommended that visitors to Greece should submit a travel notice on the Foreign Ministry’s website.
Last-minute talks between Greece and its creditors to relieve the debt grip on the country broke down over the weekend, with Greek premier Alexis Tsipras announcing a national referendum on the creditors’ latest offer.
The country looks likely to run out of cash as European finance ministers rejected an extension of its current bailout programme, which expires on June 30. Greek banks now face a cash crunch as concerned depositors move to withdraw their savings.
Greek Finance Minister Giánis Varoufakis reportedly said in a BBC interview Sunday afternoon that officials are considering introducing capital restrictions and closing banks from Monday to prevent cash flight.
