Tourists have been stranded by the latest strikes against cost cutting reform in Greece.
Dock workers in Piraeus, the main port in Greece, have been preventing tourist from boarding ferries to the Greek islands, and in Athens, thousands of people joined protest rallies where police were forced to fire tear gas.
A similar protest took place in Piraeus last week and was declared illegal by the authorities who tried to stop it, although the Greek tourism industry is reportedly in uproar after the government failed to enforce the court order this time.
Previous strikes have brought the country to a standstill on several occasions closing airports, roads and railways creating fears that tourism, which generates 20% of the country’s income, could be irreversibly damaged.
Parliament is due to meet this week to debate a range of austerity measures demanded by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union including cutting pensions, raising the retirement age and making it easier for companies to get rid of staff.
The extent to which local transport links and flights have been affected is unknown.
Last week the Greek government pledged to pay extra hotel costs for holidaymakers who find themselves stranded due to civil unrest or natural disasters. The move was part of an ongoing drive to reverse the country’s slump in visitor numbers.