For Agios Efstratios and its closest large neighbor, Lemnos, the timing of the crisis is particularly cruel. They were seen as remote for years partly because you could only reach the islands by slow and unreliable ferries. In 2015, the government had finally given the contract to a new, efficient company and this has brought many new visitors to explore the islands’ charms. But, then, the bank controls hit. “This season started as the best season in 30 years and, in one week, it became the worst,” said Atzamis Konstantinos, a travel agent in Lemnos.
Why did people consider the islands as remote and obscure?
The only way to get there was by slow and unreliable ferries The financial crisis made ferries unreliable and slow They did not have any tourism infrastructure for 30 years Because of travel reviews by previous tourists