The Guardian pulls down controversial Greece tour

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UK daily newspaper The Guardian has removed its controversial tourism advertisement for Greece on its holiday website and made an apology, according to Aljazeera on Saturday

Screenshot

Described as educational and informative, the tour with a title “Greece and the Euro” was exclusively prepared to its readers and would have the participants get a chance to learn about the impact of the financial crisis and migration on their trip in the country.

In some screenshots of the removed tour advertisements by some netizens, the trip cost 2,500 euros per person (around 3,500 US dollars) for seven nights and was led by a local journalist named Manos Stefanakis and accompanied by The Guardian’s Greece correspondent Helena Smith.

Participants would have access to Greek officials, local journalists, experts and NGOs to have a discussion over the financial and refugee crisis of the country.

Refugees in Athens protested against a delay in reuniting with their family in 2017. /VCG Photo

Since the tour package was launched on the holiday website and then widely circulated, people have made a backlash against the British newspaper.

“As if Greece hasn't been through enough without a bunch of Guardian readers trouncing around on safari. Alternatively, save your £2.5k and go and visit Greece like a normal person and help support local businesses. Believe me, you will still be able to ask questions,” @John Johnson reacted to the tour on Twitter.

“Talk about insensitive! Advertising a two and a half thousand pound tour of Greece to see how the economic crisis has caused suffering and misery in the country. Ghastly!” @Athens Living commented on Facebook.

Some netizens also saw the tour package as a poverty porn or misery tourism.

“Cost of that @guardian poverty porn holiday (flight excluded) is 2,500 GBP or 2,800 euros. 2,800 euros is 7 months wages for many Greeks,” @Teacher Dude commented.