German press: What it means when tourists in Greece ask for “apodixi”

“Tourists urged to improve fiscal awareness in Greece” is the headline in a report of the Rheinische Post newspaper from Athens.

As the paper points out: “On arrival in Greece, tourists see the slogan “Apodixi please” on large screens, while waiting at the airport to collect their luggage. They are informed that only whoever gets a receipt is obliged to pay: “Before paying for a product or service, you should ask for a receipt, saying ‘Apodixi please’. If they don’t give it to you, you don’t have to pay.” They are also informed that in Greece all sellers of goods and services are obliged to accept a credit card. Only taxi drivers and kiosks are excluded.”

Cracking down on tax evasion

The Dusseldorf newspaper reports that the goal of the campaign is to limit tax evasion “which is rampant in Greece. Especially in the tourist industry, in taverns, bars, cafes, hotels, but also in the rental of cars and umbrellas for the beach, as well as in souvenir sellers, many euros are not registered by cash registers. The publication points out, however, that there is progress in the fight against tax evasion: “The State does not just rely on helpful tourists. During the summer months auditors, impersonating travelers, check whether the necessary receipts are issued, as required by law. Last week a whopper was spotted in Mykonos, the island of the rich and famous. In a well-known beach restaurant, they found that in just one day receipts for payments of 85,450 euros had not been issued. Now the company is called in for a thorough tax audit.”

Many Germans are choosing Turkey again this year

“German tourists flood Turkish shores” is the headline in an article by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), which points out that “the tourism industry in Turkey is recovering strongly, after two years of inactivity due to the pandemic” and that according to official data for the first half of 2022 “one in eight of the total 16.4 million visitors came from Germany”, followed by Russian and British tourists.

According to the Frankfurt newspaper, Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy is now hoping for “47 million visitors, compared to the 42 million expected so far. This is almost double the number recorded last year. Ersoy is not only interested in statistics, but also in tourism revenue. Because tourism, in its most diverse forms – city breaks, family tourism or educational trips – is one of the most important sources of foreign exchange for the country. It is not only Europe that advertises its potential in medical tourism, which also includes cosmetic procedures or hair transplants. More and more wealthy couples from the Gulf countries, India, Pakistan and Azerbaijan are coming to Turkey to celebrate their wedding in style, industry representatives say, and expect a turnover of 500 million dollars. Tourism Minister Ersoi, for his part, is revising his forecasts for tourism revenues, from 35 to 37 billion euros.