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White Week for Greek students

“White Week” is an institution that's been around for years in Europe and may possibly be instituted in Greece, with schools closing for a few days in March, extending the tourist period.

“White Week” is an institution that's been around for years in Europe and may possibly be instituted in Greece, with schools closing for a few days in March, aiming at extending the tourist period.

“White Week,” or “school respite,” as the new tourism fete will be labeled in Greece, is a long standing demand by the Panhellenic Hoteliers Federation. The process for its institutionalization are already in the pipeline, after the government gave the initial nod to federation.

It must be noted that Greece had a foretaste of “white week” in 2004, when schools were funded, within the framework of an EU program, to organize four and five-day trips to mountain retreats. At the time in Pelio alone, 5,000 students had been hosted.

Between 4 and 7 March 2014, schools will remain closed so families can tour mountain resorts in order to enjoy the pristine environment and/or engage in snow sports. There will incentive to do so as local tourism chambers will lower prices by up to 50%, according to the tourism federation.

As concerns school hours lost, the federation proposes that educational walks be cut back from the five days now envisaged, or by extending the scholastic term by two days at the beginning and another two days at the end.