Refugees and tourism: a case study from the islands of Chios and Lesvos, Greece

Since the summer of 2015, many islands in the Aegean received an unprecedented wave of refugees and migrants, which created a series of immediate, short term and long term social, humanitarian and economic issues (UNHCR. (2015). The sea route to Europe: Mediterranean passage in the age of refugees. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/8URK97). This paper aims to study and analyse the effects of refugees’ inflows and the implications of the volunteers’ presence on the islands of Chios and Lesvos (Greece) through a primary research, as well as the reactions of the stakeholders involved. A primary qualitative research with the use of semi-structured interviews has been conducted between October 2016 and March 2017. The sample of the research was selected by random sampling and it involved 122 participants who were separated in two groups: a) representatives of state bodies and local authorities as well as local entrepreneurs and b) independent volunteers and members of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO). The main findings of the primary research showed a negative attitude of the local stakeholders as to the effects of the refugees’ inflows on the economic and social life of both islands and, therefore, on tourism. The research recorded a positive attitude towards the islands and their local societies on behalf of the volunteers and NGO members, as well as their intention to revisit the islands in the future as tourists.