After two holiday seasons ravaged by the pandemic, business is booming again on the Greek island of Crete, with tourists flocking to the island's white sand, picturesque harbours and beach bars once again. Even here, against a backdrop of sunsets, sea and sunshine, the state of the world looms large on the visitors' minds. "Even being on vacation you can still see the effects and aftermath of COVID, of rising prices, of the war in Ukraine," one tourist from the UK says. Yet despite everything, there remains an appetite for the escapism a Greek island holiday provides, especially after everything many have gone through. "Apparently people want to go on vacation after two years of coronavirus," beach bar owner Nikiforos Karifilakis notes. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES