Swine Flu Hits Macedonian Tourist Agencies

The fear of the swine flu may be having a ruinous effect on Macedonia's tourism agencies, with some agencies reporting an up to 90 per cent drop in demand for New Year holidays.

This, despite the much awaited lifting of visa requirements for nationals traveling to EU countries announced Monday.

“There is a total halt in demand, some 90 per cent less than last year. No one enters even to show interest, the company phone is silent. Even the cheep arrangements and the advertising do not help,” Marina Stefanova from the “Adriatic Mavrovo” tourist agency says.

“I fear that the swine flu is the real reason for the lack of demand” Angel Ivanov from “Adraitic Mavrovo” argues. He points out that people, in fear of catching the potentially deadly influenza, would much rather choose to stay at home for the festive season.

Macedonia recently has suffered the third swine flu casualty and the hospitals in the country and across the Balkans are swarmed daily with newly infected contributing further to the wide spread panic.

And while the salaries are a fraction of their EU average, this cannot account for the size of the drop in demand compared to last year.

Travel agents hope that interest will rise after 19 December when after a decades long visa regime, Macedonian nationals will be granted visa free travel in to the EU.

The cheapest way for Macedonians to get out of the country is to go to neighboring Bulgaria, Serbia or Greece. Some agencies are offering arrangements as cheap as 100 euros per person, in order to attract interest.

For those who can afford it, the agencies offer arrangements for EU capitals, Rome, Prague, Paris, Budapest and others for a total price of around 500 euros.

Boat cruises on Nile River in Egypt and accommodations in exclusive resorts in Dubai cost several thousand euros.