Stranded in Greece: Oh, those poor British tourists!

More than 110,000 British tourists are in Greece enjoying the Greek islands and country’s natural beauty but the U.K. government is worried that a storm is brewing. There is concern that the holidaymakers will be stranded if the nation fails to reach a deal with creditors this week.

Leaks that the U.K. Foreign Office was reviewing its official vacation advice began to grow amid speculation that cash machines could be switched off and violent protests may take place.

Fear and panic was spread by publications such as this one by the Sun, detailing “massive airlift” operations to “rescue” tourists.

The reports have caused a number of UK tourists to balk at the prospects of visiting Greece with British tour operators forced to slash the cost of travel packages to Greece by half. For instance, Thomson Holidays now offers a trip to Corfu for 566 euros for a week (flight included) whereas the price just a couple of weeks ago was 1,132 euros. Kayak.co.uk states that British tourists have reduced their interest in Greece by 53% in the space of just one week.

Following recent articles ABTA released a statement on June 21. “Speculation about a possible Greece debt default, and potential exit from the Euro, has been current for some time, but at present remains just speculation,” says ABTA while clarifying that “any changes would be highly unlikely to happen overnight, any switch to a new currency would take time and euros would likely be accepted in the interim.”

While ABTA does not anticipate a need for tour operators to rebook customers, it does advise the situation to be monitored though the industry is experienced in “handling unusual situations.”