Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-10-17

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Two strong earthquakes jolt Aegean between Samos, Turkish coast, no damage immediately reported

[02] Most popular destination for US tourists

[03] Dead birds sent for testing

[01] Two strong earthquakes jolt Aegean between Samos, Turkish coast, no damage immediately reported

The first trembler was recorded at 8:46 a.m., at a distance of 450 kilometres southeast of Thessaloniki, according to seismographs in Athens and Thessaloniki, while a second strong quake was recorded four hours later at 12:46 p.m.

The earthquakes were felt throughout the entire Aegean, and as far as Athens, while there were no reports of damage as of 9:30 a.m., according to police on Samos and Chios, but they did cause worry among local residents.

Several aftershocks more tremblers followed the two strong quakes, while the largest in magnitude was 4.6 Richter, occurring between the two powerful shocks.

Research director of the Athens National Observatory's Geodynamic Insitutue Gerassimos Papadopoulos told ANA that it was normal that several aftershocks would occure, given the magnitude of the primary quake.

"We are monitering (the incident), but it is still early for further assessments," Papadopoulos said.

Similar statements were made by Thessaloniki Aristotelion University seismologist Manolis Skordilis.

Skordilis said it was early for any assessments to be made concerning the seismic development in the Eastern Aegean region following the morning's 6 Richter trembler recorded northeast of the coast of Samos.

He said that the first 48 hours needed to elapse before any conclusions could be reached, adding that it was not possible to know whether the trembler was related to the killer earthquake that recently struck Pakistan and other Asian countries.

Skordilis added that the 6 Richter main quake was followed by several weaker tremblers, but added that 48 hours needed to elapse before it could be definitely stated that they were aftershiocks.

The seismologist noted that the epicentre of Monday morning's quake was put at 450 kilometres southeast of Turkey, but it had yet to be determined whether the epicentre was in the sea or on Turkish land territory. He added that the quake was felt on the islands of the northeastern Aegean, the Cyclades islands, and all the way to Attica prefecture.

It is noted that the Eastern Aegean is a highly seismic region, with the last strong earthquake recorded in 1992, with a magnitude of 6.2 Richter.

Meanwhile, authorities on Samos said that everything was normal on the island following the earthquake, which was strongly felt on Samos, Ikaria, Fournoi islands, and the surrounding islands in the Aegean.

According to initial reports, there was no damage caused on Samos, while Samos prefect Manolis Karlas ordered all schools to remain closed for the day throughout the prefecture.

Authorities on the islands of Lesvos and Chios also reported that everything was normal on the islands following the morning's seismic activity, and that no damage was caused.

Schools were also closed for the day on the two islands.

According to foreign news agency reports from Izmir, there were no immediate reports of injuries, by state Anatolian news agency said the roofs of two houses in the town of Urla, south of Izmir, collapsed after the first quake -- which Istanbul's Kandilli seismic research institute put at 5.9 Richter -- while cracks appeared in one old building.

A second quake shortly after noon was put at 5.7 Richter by the Kandilli institute.

The two tremblers sent people out onto the streets and parks after leaving their homes and work places, while local authorities gave parents permission to take their children out of school for the day.

Turkey is criss-crossed by seismic fault lines and small or moderate earthquakes are an almost daily occurrence. A powerful quake measuring 7.4 Richter devastated areas of northwestern Turkey near Istanbul in 1999, killing more than 17,000 people.

[02] Most popular destination for US tourists

The event, held at a central Manhattan hotel, was attended by American publishers, corporate CEOs, representatives of travel periodicals, officials of the largest tour operators in the US, and officials of the international business, investment and tourism communities.

Apart from Avramopoulos, who is accompanied on his US visit by president of the National Tourism Organisation of Greece (NTOG) Aristides Kalogeropoulos-Stratis, other speakers included Edwin (Ed) Fuller, president and managing director of J.W. Marriott International Lodging, US-based cruiseship line Crystal Cruises president Gregg Michel, and Hong Kong-based US carrier Cathay Pacific Airways senior vice president for the Americas Tom Wright.

Avramopoulos said that the comparative advantages pfovided by Greece as an international tourism destination included high quality of services provided, the value-for-money ratio of the product offered, and the importance of Greek civilisation as a common legacy and means for inter-cultural rapprochement among peoples.

He also outlined the changes recently being advanced by the government, which aim at "further increasing" the competitiveness of the tourism product and Greece's evolution into an "international tourism model".

Replying to questions, Avramopoulos gave a comprehensive overview of the services, prospects, advantages and beauty offered by Greece not only to tourists but also to prospective investors in the tourism sector.

Questioned on the repercussions of terrorism on tourism development in Greece, Avramopoulos noted that "terrorism is not a local or regional phenomenon, but an international problem, and its psychological impact affects the entire world".

He cited as an example the terrorist attacks last summer in Egypt and Britain, which resulted in a 10-15 percent decline in tourism arrivals in Greece for a period of 10 days.

However, the minister added, "2005 was a very successful year for our country in terns of attracting tourists due to its exceptional safety conditions".

He said foreign tourists consider Greece to be very safe, and the successful hosting of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, the measures that had been taken, but also the Greek society, which presents the lowest crime rate in all of Europe, were contributing factors to that perception.

With respect to American tourists, Avramopoulos said that they were a "very demanding public which, according to surveys, consider Greek culture as the main reason for visiting our country".

On the other hand, he said, Greeks were friendly towards Americans, given that many Greeks have family ties with the US.

Referring to his ministry's upcoming promotional campaign in the US, Avramopoulos said that it would be "large-scale" and would not be limited only to major American cities, as had been last year's campaign.

He further exchanged thoughts and experiences with the delegates and sought their advice so that all together, through boosting tourism, they could contribute to global growth, peace and stability.

Taking the podium after Avramopoulos, Fuller said that China has become the "primary field" for the promotion of the Marriott chain, adding that significant progress had been achieved in market research, which aimed at better serving the customers in the field of recreational tourism and professional travel (business trips).

Michel, in turn, stressed the important role played by geopolitics in Crystal Cruises' strategic planning.

Finally, Wright outlined the efforts being made by Cathay Pacific to improve its airline services.

On Sunday night, Avramopoulos was the guest of honour at a dinner hosted by the Conde Nast Traveler magazine, which was attended by officials of the US tourism industry and media.

On Monday night, Avramopoulos will accept the magazine's "Readers Choice Award" for Greece, and the island of Mykonos specifically -- which was selected by the magazine's American readers as the most popular tourist destination -- during a ceremony at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[03] Dead birds sent for testing

The dead birds, two from the Orestiada region and one from the Soufli region, were found on Sunday by local residents.

Meanwhile, authorities were intensifying sample testing of migratory birds following the incidents of avian influenza (bird flu) in neighbouring Turkey and Romania.

Over the weekend, the Veterinary Directorate of Evros prefecture, in cooperation with the Alexandroupolis Hunting Association, collected a further 20 samples of migratory birds, which were sent to the Thessaloniki Veterinary Laboratory for testing, while the test results on the first 40 samples of migratory birds sent to the Lab five days ago will be announced within the week.

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