European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 14, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Greek tourist office put Oil notably the splendid mansion of the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann who discovered the ruins of Troy. The tree shaded Square the size of several football Fields has a splendid bandstand that would Honor the Kur Partt of a Central european spa and an obelisk dedicated to the Admiral in the War of Independence who gave the Square its name. Several cafes and restaurants have tables on the Square unfortunately pizza has replaced traditional dishes. Only a restaurant with the misleadingly in greek name of Chez Michel upholds greek cuisine. The cultural credentials of the Early citizens Are established not Only by the bandstand but also off the Square by the municipal Library and museum of not particularly notable antiquities. Sadly the Apollo theater behind the Square has suffered the Fate of being partially and a stylishly restored and then allowed to fall into near ruin. Its Interior is a miniature of the Scala of Milan. The Fine building that houses the Library built As a club for local dignitaries now serves As the town s cultural Center where theatrical and musical performances Are now staged by local troupes. Looking from Hermo Polis to the sea the sight of ferryboat crammed with tourists passing by is a reminder of How drastically tourism has changed the most popular islands. Staid As this dowager May be unlike most of her neighbors she has remained herself. Be 14, 1987 my Konos la famous for its White houses and narrow alleys. Mako nos anything goes by Kevin Hope associated Pressi n summer 30,000 tourists crowd onto the Rocky Aegean Island of my Konos every Day putting it s 4,000 residents on a hectic schedule catering to them. It also puts Money in their pockets. But when the sophisticated vacation resort shuts Down or the Winter the islanders resume a leisurely greek lifestyle. Men play cards in the cafes when the weather turns too Stormy for fishing. Women Cook huge meals for family and friends. In the season it s so frenetic that my wife s on Tranquili Zers and i m too tired to talk to my friends said Hotelier Alecos Galounis. My Konos 88 Square Kilometres 34 Square Miles in area is known for its cube shaped White houses whitewashed alleys donkeys and thatched windmills. Us nudist beaches Gay bars and wild nightlife attract Jet setters of All nationalities. A 25-year tourism Boom has brought in hundreds of millions of dollars making the resort the wealthiest of Greece s 200 or so inhabited islands. My Kolans take Caribbean cruises in Winter Send their children to american universities and drink imported scotch whisky by the crate. The islanders say that although my Konos now attracts too Many visitors it s still essentially unspoiled. We get More than 550.000 tourists every year far More than any other Small greek Island mayor Mathios Apostolou said. It s really too Many. They choke the town in july and August but How can we turn visitors away we have real problems in summer with noise traffic jams and garbage disposal. But if the Island was losing its Appeal. I Don t think people would still be streaming  the Island has 15 Sandy beaches around 200 restaurants bars and discos and 15,000 Beds in quaint hotels. The mayor said that not All the tourists who come to my Konos use hotel space. He estimated that about 5,000 on any Given Day sleep at campsites or on beaches while about 10.000 others stay aboard cruise ships or yachts. But almost everyone comes into town at dusk for the evening s entertainment he added. A 50 percent decline last year in american visitors to Greece Cut Down on cruise ship arrivals on my Konos. But larger numbers of italians Swiss. Japanese and greeks came. My Konos reputation for Carefree hospitality is said to Date from the 1770s. When the Island was held for four years by russian forces fighting ottoman Turkey in he Day of the Empress Catherine the great. It was after the russian period that my Konos began to acquire its unique attitude to visitors said newspaper publisher Helen Vlachos one of dozens of prominent athenians who own Homes on the Island. My ionians Don t mind if you stay up All night go around nude or dance in their  organized tourism to my Konos began in the 1930s when wealthy foreigners stopped off in route to a famous archaeological site on the nearby Island of Delos. It took off in the Early 1960s As my Konos became known As a place where celebrities could relax undisturbed. There was t any Security then said restaurateur Philip Kontizas. People like Jackie Kennedy just strolled around. The celebrities still come but Saud arabian billionaire Adnan Kash Oggi has a crowd of guards with  but this year the tourist officials on the Island have a new worry. My Konos known around the world As a Gay Paradise must contend with the fear of aids we re certainly not going to Start closing Down Gay bars and discos. It s going to be business As usual this summer said Apostolou said. But we be launched a Campaign to teach everybody on the Island about aids. Doctors Are touring every school and Village handing out leaflets and offering  homosexuals from around the world and especially from Italy Britain and the United states make up a Large chunk of the half a million or so tourists who annually visit this Small sunny Island with its idyllic whitewashed houses romantic windmills and Sandy beaches. It s True that we Are among the High risk communities Apostolou said. Since More than 70 percent of the tightly knit Island Community is involved in the lucrative tourist business fear of aids is a particularly sensitive Issue. We re not just worried about our children catching aids from foreigners said Yorgos a 37-year-old Fisherman who also rents rooms in the summer. Tourism is our livelihood. Even if the homosexuals keep on coming which we re not sure they will the aids scare might put heterosexuals  Alexander a 39-year-old bar owner from France said fear of aids was unlikely to put his clients off visiting my Konos. This summer is the real  he said Bui i think All these stories about aids won t have any real affect on us. It certainly won t drive away my regulars " Joan Newman a 28-year-old Ohio school teacher on vacation said she did t feel any More at risk from aids on my Konos. You can get aids in any place in the world these Days she said. Officially Mikono earns $21 million annually from tourism. But islanders say that about $63 million in undeclared income is slashed away every year in Cash or in Bank accounts outside Greece. Real estate prices have soared an old fashioned two room apartment overlooking the waterfront is offered for Sale at $170,000. A modern vacation Home near a Beach can run More than $230.000 the tourism Boom also has stemmed a centuries old tradition of migration from the Island my Konos used to suffer from real poverty said Thodoros Fourkis a Fisherman turned bar owner people had to go to sea or find construction jobs in Athens tourism changed All that. Nobody eaves  the stars and stripes Page 15