A trip to Europe, long a safe bet, seems less predictable these days. The debt crisis has led to strikes and the closings of the type of small restaurants and boutiques that tourists count on. So what can you expect if you make it across the ocean? Contributors in some of the hardest hit countries — Ireland, Greece and Spain — give an indication.
Ireland's 'Zombie Hotels' Beckon Visitors With Cheaper Rates
Whoever coined the term "zombie hotels" probably won't win any prizes for marketing. But the hotels, relics of the Celtic Tiger era in Ireland, are probably the biggest real benefit for any visitor to Irish shores.
Hundreds of them opened during the boom years, from 1997 to 2007, fueled by lavish tax breaks and the expectation of increased demand from home and abroad. The snag was that if they ceased renting rooms, they would have still owe money that had helped them get off the ground.
So despite the economic nose-dive, many have kept their doors open even if they are making little or no profit, forcing prices down across the sector. What is bad news for hoteliers is good news for everyone else.
Thanks to these so-called zombies, whose occupancy rates hover around 62 percent, tourists can now expect to pay a fraction of the cost for lodging that they might have a few years ago. In recent studies, hotel prices in Ireland rank among the cheapest in Europe, with average rooms in Dublin now costing about 80 euros (about $100 at $1.26 to the euro); 70 euros ($89) elsewhere in the country.
In 2013, the Irish government is hosting an initiative called The Gathering, in an attempt to encourage everyone to invite friends and relatives to visit. Because of the zombies, there has probably never been a better time to go.
Upside of the Euro Crisis: Lower Prices Are Luring Tourists Back to Greece
The sign on a clothing shop on Ermou Street in Athens reads "10 euro crisis special." All along this main shopping drag near Parliament, similar discount signs abound.
As Greece's economic troubles deepen, many prices are declining, including those for hotels. That seems to be drawing tourists back, just as concerns that Greece could abandon the euro kept many away during the summer.
The marble streets of Plaka and shops in the winding Monastiraki tourism areas near the Acropolis were startlingly empty a month ago, but they have snapped back to life. Restaurants and bars were bustling on a recent Saturday night; shoppers browsed jewelry stores and the streets were dense with crowds. But step on to any side street, and every third store is closed for business, covered by a thicket of graffiti.
Still, Greeks are going about their lives, settling into a rhythm occasionally interrupted by strikes against a government austerity plan and transportation slowdowns. Like the shuttered stores, the inconveniences are merely something for tourists to figure their way around, although there may be more to come.
For Tourists in Spain, Signs of Worsening Economy
One sign of spain's economic woes intruded late this summer at a flamenco club in El Puerto de Santa María, a beach town in the south.
The dancer was stomping his feet and circling his arms on the stage. Then he reached for the microphone and started to sing. It was weird that he was singing, and it wasn't right. Flamenco dancers aren't supposed to sing. It ruins their rhythm. It destroys their mystery.
Between songs, the dancer addressed the crowd. "He is sorry for his singing," my friend translated for me. "He says that he is dancer, but with the crisis he is a singer, too."
As the dancer did double duty, it brought to mind other signs that Spain's economy seemed worse than the year before. Bullfights were canceled; bullrings were half-empty.
Or take the chiringuito (beachside restaurant) at Redes. The place, perched on a bluff overlooking the crowded beaches on the Bay of Cádiz, was so mobbed last summer that the wait for a table was an hour or more. This year, there was no wait on many days, which was great until the grilled fish and sautéed clams came and the realization kicked in: it's not much fun to eat on a beach in Spain all alone.
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