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'Get rid of your Greek euros': Holiday company rebuffed over scaremongering euro warning

An online travel company has advised worried holidaymakers to 'get rid'  of their Greek euros in case the crisis-hit country leaves the single currency.

As German Chancellor Angela Merkel conceded for the first time that Greece could be forced to quit the euro, DialAFlight warned travellers that their Greek euro notes could become worthless.

However, while some experts predict that Greece could leave the single currency within weeks, there has been no official acknowledgement that their euro notes would become worthless.

Unrest: A group of anti-austerity protesters have been forcibly removed from Syntagma Square in Athens, but trouble has not spread any further

The blog post on the company's website - which has since been removed - was advising Britons to check the origin of their euro notes, saying that Greece could use them as an interim currency while new notes are being printed.

It used an example of Czechoslovakia devaluing its currency 20 years ago, when it rubber-stamped all notes overnight so they could be used while a new currency was printed.

The operator questioned whether other European countries will still accept Greek euros if the country is no longer officially part of the currency and said Greek notes are easily identifiable by their serial number.

Euro notes specific to each country were issued when they joined the currency, but can be used all over Europe and are only identifiable by their country-specific serial numbers. Greek notes begin with the letter 'Y'.

The DialAFlight blog asked: 'Will other members of the Eurozone accept them? If not anyone holding Greek Euros may find themselves out of pocket.' 

It even went as far as to question whether Spain could be next on the list if Greece falls and advised holidaymakers to get rid of notes from the two countries 'just in case'.

 

However, there have been no open discussions at a political level about what will happen if Greece pulls out of the euro and the travel industry has been quick to reassure holidaymakers that trips remain unaffected.

A spokesperson for ABTA - The Travel Association - said: 'A euro is a euro regardless of where it is printed. If Greece were to leave the euro, nobody can predict 100 per cent accurately all the effects this might have, but it is safe to say that there would be a transition period when you would still be able to pay with euros in bars and restaurants, as is common in many countries where currencies such as the euro or dollar are accepted in parallel to the local currency.'

The British Bankers' Association also dismissed DialAFlight's claims, saying: 'There is no difference between euros from different countries. They are worth the same from one end of the Eurozone to the other, regardless of where they are issued. The euro is a single currency and worth the same whether French, German, Greek or Spanish.

Calm: Greece's popular islands have been largely unaffected by any unrest

The ABTA spokesperson added: 'It is important to remember that speculation about Greece leaving the euro and its possible impact is just that, speculation. It remains perfectly safe to travel to Greece. 

'The vast majority of UK holidaymakers fly directly into the Greek islands which have not seen any unrest. The Greeks are a very hospitable people and holidaymakers will if anything find them even more welcoming as they are desperate for people to visit as the economic situation and insecurity, plus the negative speculation, is clearly having an impact on business.

'Inconclusive elections in Greece have led to drawn-out talks about forming a coalition, but the participating parties are yet to reach an agreement.

Last night there was widespread speculation that Greece would be forced to hold fresh elections next month after left-wing parties indicated they would boycott any deal that supported the austerity drive agreed with the EU.

Maria Whiteman, Managing Director of Directline Holidays, reassured travellers, saying that none of its Greece-based partners have reported any concerns.

She said: 'It is of course possible that holiday-makers could be put off by demonstrations or holiday security but given that the islands remain mainly unaffected and historically travel hasn’t dipped on the back of unrest we aren’t anticipating a decline. 

'At the moment all programmes and schedules from tour operators remain the same for 2013 and capacity hasn’t been cut which is an early indicator that the destination in the near term remains unaffected.

'The derestriction of the currency and debt problem is likely to make holiday providers' prices more competitive so it could be a good time for holiday-makers looking to pick up a bargain.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2144713/Greece-crisis-Get-rid-Greek-euros-holiday-company-issues-dramatic-warning-travellers.html#ixzz1v17wPhtu
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