Sarah Ticherou

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Thursday 30 July, 2009

June and July were VIP months in Corfu. First the Foreign Secretary attending the OSCE Ministerial and, more recently, the new FCO Minister responsible for Consular matters, Chris Bryant MP.
The Minister asked to come and see on the ground how we look after young British tourists. This was a great opportunity to officially launch the Greece consular publicity campaign, ‘Another side to Paradise’, which got lots of media coverage. Plus a chance to get an insight into the other campaigns being run in conjunction with the youth tour operators, 2wentys and Club 18-30s, called ‘Don’t be a Dick’ and ‘Don’t Miss out’. See the Embassy website for some pics.
With his busy schedule in the UK, we had to squeeze in as much as possible in a short time to give a good overview of what we are doing. It was non-stop visits and meetings for two days, including a visit to Kavos resort, so that the Minister could meet with tour operators and local figures, like the Mayor and police, as well as British tourists.
The meeting with the tour operators involved all the main companies working with young British holidaymakers, both managers and reps, and there was a lively discussion about how the campaigns are running, customer reaction and how we can continue our partnership. Additionally the tour operators talked about some of the problems they have on the ground on a daily basis and how they are dealing with these.
The Minister then went on a walkabout along the main street in Kavos, which has over 80 bars and restaurants. He wanted to speak to visiting Brits about their holiday experiences, give them some of the publicity material and explain the aims of our campaign. This wasn’t a lecture though. He wasn’t saying to the tourists “don’t do this or that “– his message was to have fun within limits and stay safe, to “stay aware and take care”.
I must admit I was curious to see the reaction of the tourists during the walkabout. I have to say that they were really open and welcoming. They showed an interest in what the Minister was saying and were only too happy to talk about the problems that can happen whilst on holiday. They also got the opportunity to appear on GMTV, which they thought was great!
Then it was off to Athens for the Minister, for talks with the Minister of Public Order and other key Greek officials who work closely with us to ensure that British holidaymakers have enjoyable and trouble-free visits. Within the space of less than 48 hours he managed to speak to a huge range of people and definitely helped promote some important safety messages across Greece.