In crisis-torn Greece, it's hell for locals but heaven for tourists

Greece may be in the midst of a debt crisis, with residents able to withdraw just €60 (HK$515) a day from an ATM, but tourists should have nothing to worry about, according to the Greek consul general in Hong Kong, travel experts and a Hongkonger who arrived there earlier this week.

Beatrice Wong, a Hongkonger in her late 30s, writes in an email that all is calm and business is normal. Tourists are visiting major attractions like the Acropolis, restaurants remain open and cruise liners continue to arrive with boatloads of tourists.

"The locals I came into contact with - the driver, the guide, the waiter, etc - do mention the financial situation here and there but they are hopeful that things will be OK," Wong writes. "There are some people at the ATMs but no major lines. The nicer restaurants, hotels and shops all take foreign credit cards so far. We just had lunch for €44 and we paid by credit card."

She also says she saw a protest in Syntagma Square - in central Athens. She says all traffic was blocked and there were more police around, but that the demonstration was peaceful.

Christodoulos Margaritis, the Greek consul general in Hong Kong, said the capital controls and ATM limit did not apply to tourists, and ATM machines would be continuously supplied with cash. He said that although there had been images in the media of queues outside ATMs and petrol stations, he did not think people would have to stand in lines like that for very long.

"There's no shortage of any kind," Margaritis said.