Greece extends opening hours at tourist attractions amid worker protest

Extended opening hours in 60 Greek archaeological sites and museums began Wednesday to boost the economy and attract more tourists.

After a successful pilot program last year, the extended opening hours at Greek tourist attractions aims at reviving local businesses and combating high unemployment rates.

Apart from the Acropolis, Epidaurus, Knossos and other famous monuments, more sites are added in this year's list like the Amphipolis, Marathonas and Vravrona that will be open seven days a week from spring to autumn.

According to the schedule, archaeological sites will be open from 8:00 a.m. to sunset, while museums will receive tourists from 08:00 am to 20:00 p.m. Furthermore, all sites and museums will be free to visitors on the first Sunday of April.

However, the extended opening hours were marked by work stoppages. On Monday, employee union PEFYA walked out of their posts to demand more staff be hired to cover the extended schedule.

"We want to express our concern since the staff is not enough for the archaeological sites and museums in Greece. Today there is 1,500 permanent staff, while according to studies that number should be 3,000," president of PEFYA Giannis Mavrikopoulos told Xinhua.

"If they cannot hire new employees due to the economic crisis, they could strengthen our posts with employees who are under the mobility scheme," Mavrikopoulos said, referring to the plan to transfer public servants to different state organizations. Endit