Athens 28.9, Sunday morning. The first rays of the sun find the airport swallowing flights from America, Canada, China, Europe, Greece. Thousands of people, tired of their travels, with the suitcase in their hand, with the longing reaching their hotels or the agony of preventing departure flight. And what do they meet? A city closed. Not because there was a storm, nor because there was a sudden need for security. But because it was … a race.
The center of Athens blocked from the early hours to noon. Neither taxi, no coach nor private cars could move. A chaotic situation that is not explained by either the announcements, the municipalities or the organizers. And, above all, it is not explained to tourists, who are still wondering why their “modern European capital” is allegedly not wanting them.
The problem is not sport. Not even the runs that really give life to the city and joy to those involved. The problem is the feeling that residents and visitors always come second. That the weekend in the center means hassle, clogged roads, delays. And without sufficient information. Think of the visitor from Toronto or Shanghai he needs to understand, with the jet lag burdening him, because his taxi circles around the Attica Road, unable to approach the city.
In how many cities in Europe does this happen? Sure, there are marathons, cycling rounds, street holidays. But most cities have a plan: alternative routes, operating media, information campaigns weeks ago. Here, on the other hand, the well -known “come baby, they will be comfortable”. Only this “convenient” translates into thousands of tourists who lose hours of their vacation or, worse, their flights.
To be clear: another the classic authentic marathon, which is an international event, with historical weight and global radiation. There, in fact, the city has a reason to close, organize, support the institution. But the dozens of smaller events, which are repeated almost every weekend, morning and evening, who exactly serve? Who gives the licenses? Who calculates the costs of the daily life and tourist experience of Athens, Piraeus, and other smaller municipalities in the capital?
The tourist economy is not an abstract concept. He is the man who arrives Sunday morning from New York and cannot go to his hotel in the Constitution. It is the group that loses its flight to Paris because the airport routes were cut. It is the family who just wants to spend a relaxed weekend in the city and finds barricades and ribbons in front of it.
If Athens wants to stand as a European metropolis, it must set priorities. To support sports, yes, but without punishing its citizens and visitors. To keep the marathon, but to brake on a escape racing industry. To create a serious mobility and communication plan.
Until then, we will continue to see thousands of people reaching Athens with dreams and start their journey with… traffic jams and frustration. And this, for a country based on tourism, is simply unacceptable.
