Action against rowdy Brits in Zakynthos

[Truth Bearer]

Action against rowdy Brits abroad
By Tamasin Ford
Newsbeat reporter in Zante


Heavy drinking and bad behaviour by British tourists abroad has reached crisis point on one Greek island.

Officials in Zante are meeting British diplomats and officials to discuss what to do about young, rowdy tourists from the UK who cause trouble.

The Mayor of Laganas in Zante is so fed up he's demanding changes and says he wants to appeal more to families.


The Mayor of Laganas wants the resort to appeal more to families

But there's a fear if young people stop going there, local businesses will suffer a downturn in trade.

The Laganas strip is 300 metres of bars and clubs that runs right down to the beach front.

You don't have to pay to get in anywhere and most give out free shots once you're inside.

There are no complaints from clubbers.

Leanne's from Dunstable. She's out in Zante with nine of her friends.

She told Newsbeat: "We're all dressed as mechanics. We're doing MOTs tonight and a lot of people need oiling."



An ambulance is called for a drunk British tourist

Local disapproval

Laganas is like any other clubbing resort. It's all about the nightlife, cheap alcohol and having a great holiday.

The vibe is incredible on a night out, but not everyone's so happy about the type of tourist Laganas attracts.


Maria lives up the road from the resort.
She said: "We don't deserve the reputation that goes with Laganas.

"I don't know why the children are drinking the way they are but the root of the problem is alcohol and enormous amounts. No normal person drinks that much."

Maria's seen the bad behaviour first hand.

"It was early in the evening. A young girl about 20 years old was blind drunk and got on top of the car," she said.

"She pulled her knickers down and did what you would normally do on a toilet seat."

There is a more serious side to this issue. Laganas has suffered in the press recently.

Just a few weeks ago, a 17-year-old boy from Sheffield died in the resort.

Drinking culture

The Mayor, Dionisis Komiotis, has spoken publicly about what he sees as inappropriate behaviour in his town.

He said: "We don't want the young people to walk out naked to cause problems and damage.


Zante has more than 70 miles of non-stop coastline

"We don't want them to annoy the rest of the guests and tourists and, of course, put their own lives in danger.


"We want the young people to enjoy themselves and go back home healthy and happy."
That's easier said than done. Tourists come to this resort to drink, have a good time and sometimes things get out of hand.

The British Embassy has been regularly dealing with incidents caused by heavy drinking in Laganas.

The UK ambassador, Simon Gass, says the problems are all to do with alcohol.

He said: "If you have a resort in which there are very large numbers of bars selling very cheap and often low quality alcohol in very large quantities, you can't be that surprised when you get an awful lot of people who end up drunk."

The UK ambassador to Greece has been meeting the mayor, tour operators and local businesses to try to sort out the problem.

The mayor wants to see families returning to the resort.

There is the fear, though, that if young people stop coming, the face of Laganas will change completely with businesses that rely on them, worried about their livelihoods.

Another option would be to put more police on the streets to support the bars and clubs and keep British tourists in line.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/new...00/7546858.stm

Published: 2008/08/07 11:15:47 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/he...00/7546858.stm

[Truth Bearer]

Greek clampdown on drunken Brits

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7546514.stm

Officials on the Greek island of Zakynthos are seeking to curb the inappropriate behaviour of some British tourists who flock to the resort of Laganas.

Tamasin Ford reports from Zakynthos.

[Truth Bearer]

Greek holiday sex attack warning
By Tamasin Ford
Newsbeat reporter in Zante


Greece has the highest number of rapes reported by British tourists, according to figures obtained by Newsbeat.

In 2007, British officials dealt with a higher number of sexual assaults per head than anywhere in the world with Brit on Brit rape the biggest problem.

They're worried many go unreported and it could be "the tip of the iceberg".

The Foreign Office says the figures are so high because of big resorts that attract thousands of young people out for the clubs and the cheap booze.


Eighteen-year-old Helen from north London is out in Zante on the Greek Island of Zakynthos for the first time.
She said: "The drinks are so cheap. You get into the clubs for free and you buy one drink and get three shots free.

"It's great, it doesn't cost hardly anything to go out."

Laganas, like Malia in Crete, Cavos in Corfu and other Greek resorts, is packed with bars and clubs.



It's all about clubbing, getting a good tan and letting yourself go.

Helen's friend Tori is out here too.

She said: "Boys are out here for a laugh, aren't they?

"They love the girls and they're out here for sex."

Helen adds: "But the girls come out here for the sex too, they're just as bad as the boys."

Unreported rapes

The Foreign Office says although the number of rapes reported by British tourists in Greece is down on the year before and the situation is improving.

Jess Prasad is from the Foreign Office.


Beer mats warning against drunken trouble are in Greek bars


The girls never remember because they're too drunk. I ask them if they've had sex and they don't remember

Dr Renesis from the state hospital in Zante


She said: "You're not going to get a true picture because so many people don't report them. This is only the tip of the iceberg."
The Foreign Office doesn't want to scare people away from Greece and says the figures show a distorted picture of the country.

It says it's mainly the big clubbing resorts where they get the problems.

Helen added: "It's very related to alcohol and the thing to remember is that it's not saying Greece is more dangerous because it's about Brit on Brit.

A widespread anti-rape campaign aimed at British tourists has now started across Greece.


Safety leaflets and posters are being handed out in Greek clubs


It began in Cavos last year and was thought to be a success, so was rolled out across all the Greek resorts this summer.

It involves leaflets and posters being handed out in clubs and bars.

They show a picture of a dishevelled and distraught looking girl on the front, with a message saying, Know Your Limits.

Dangerous behaviour

Dr Renesis, from the state hospital in Zante, has seen similar pictures for real.

It's part of his job to examine women who claim they've been raped.


Many young British tourists go to Zante to drink and have sex

He said: "All through the night we work with drunk people and most of them are British.
"Drink kills people, rapes people and destroys the face of England in Greece.

"We don't like rape and we don't like our tourists to be raped."

He puts the problem down to binge drinking, saying 90% of the women he sees are British.

"The girls never remember because they're too drunk," he added.

"I ask them how many boys were involved and they don't remember.

"I ask them if they've had sex and they don't remember. I ask them if they used a condom and they don't remember."


Safe holiday

Tour operators like Club 18-30 and 2wentys have teamed up with the Foreign Office to try to get the health and safety message across to the tourists.

They've launched the Don't Be A Dick Campaign.

Jess Prasad says they don't want to preach to people and tell them what to do, they just want to keep them safe.

She said: "Basically you've got a scenario of Tom, Dick and Harry and every time Dick is the one that gets into trouble.

"So we're basically saying, don't be a Dick."


Lou is from Club 18-30 and works out in Laganas where the posters are up in many of the bars and clubs.
She said: "We run the campaign because we want to make sure the guests have an absolutely fantastic holiday but within their limits.

"We want to make sure that they know they've got to be safe and not drink so much that they get into such a state."

Everyone wants to get rid of the negative image clubbing resorts like Zante have.

Even with a street nicknames 'rape alley' Laganas remains a place where people just want to take time out of the UK to go and have fun.

Dave from Birmingham's one of them.

He said: "I think this is the best place ever. It's absolute mayhem man, off the hook.

"The music's been class, everything's been class, loads of nice girls around. You know the score."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/new...00/7544469.stm

Published: 2008/08/06 10:11:20 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/he...00/7544469.stm