American students, who went to Chania with the “Drexel Abroad” on a Crete Programme of the Centre of Greek Studies of the University of Drexel in Philadelphia, said that the American Media discredit Greece.
As the students claim, all the American media show the violent episodes that have taken place recently in Athens repeatedly, giving the impression that Greece is a country which, at the moment, is dealing with economic and social distress and, thus, should be avoided by tourists.
However, the students admitted that, although their parents and themselves were really concerned about trips to Greece, when they arrived, they experienced a completely different situation than they had been expecting. They felt the security and hospitality of the Greek people and saw a beautiful country with people that hope for a change. Only the economy of the country is in great difficulties but it is not the only country which faces such problems, at the moment.
Dr. Maria Hnarakihe, Director of Greek Studies of the University of Drexel, who comes from Crete, says that “They wish to promote the best image of Greece but they can not go against the worldwide media.” She added that “They had many problems because during the Middle and Near East crisis, CNN specifically, showed Crete close to Libya, so she had to explain to the concerned parents that Crete is part of a European country and not of the Middle East.”
“Now the media are giving emphasis only on the violent episodes in Athens.” Finally, she believes that the problems of Greece are due to its geopolitical location. They know the only way to hit the country is via tourism and considers that the war Greece is dealing with is ideological and not an economic one.
This is the sixth year that American students are taught four courses and live on Crete for one month. Apart from learning about the Greek culture, the students have the opportunity to visit different local businesses on the island, thus learning about the local economy, which is one of the topics of their assignments.
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