- The new board of the Cretan Hoteliers Association, led by Manolis Stamatakis, meets with Governor Arnaoutakis.
- The outgoing season was labeled a “success” (as always).
- Hoteliers submit memo: airports, roads, VOAK, ports, health care, water shortages, and economy.
- Governor thanks them for “jobs and rights” while everyone nods.
- Participants: Nikos Chalkiadakis, Manolis Tsakalakis, Kyriakos Papadakis, Nikos Koumnas, Michalis Christoforakis, Kostas Papadakis, Nikos Foundoulakis.
Same Script, Different Season
The new board of the Cretan Hoteliers Association, headed by President Manolis Stamatakis, paid a visit to Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis. The stated purpose is to review the season just past, officially described as “positive.” Translation: the hotels were full, the tills rang, and we’ll politely ignore the complaints about infrastructure, water, and staff conditions.
Naturally, the hoteliers came prepared with a memo. And not just any memo: a Greatest Hits list of everything they have been demanding for years. Airports that actually function, health services that can handle more than a sunburn, a national and provincial road network that does not feel like a video game, completion of the long-suffering VOAK highway, better ports, solutions to drought, plus the ever-vague “financial issues.” If you sense déjà vu, you’re not wrong — this same memo could have been recycled from any meeting in the last decade.
The Polite Exchange of Thanks
Governor Arnaoutakis, unfazed, thanked the hoteliers for the visit, for their “important work,” and for “safeguarding jobs and workers’ rights.” Yes, you read that right: hoteliers as guardians of labor law. Somewhere, a seasonal worker just dropped their tray in disbelief.
Stamatakis, on his side, thanked the Governor for “steady support” and for helping promote Crete’s “tourism product” — the sacred phrase that makes the island sound less like a living place and more like something you sell at duty-free.
Roll Call of the Board
For the record, in attendance were:
- Nikos Chalkiadakis, First Vice President
- Manolis Tsakalakis, Second Vice President
- Kyriakos Papadakis, General Secretary
- Nikos Koumnas, Treasurer
- Michalis Christoforakis, Board Member
- Kostas Papadakis, PR Officer
- Nikos Foundoulakis, Association Director
The whole cast, all nodding in unison, as the ritual of promises and polite smiles played out yet again.
