Greece Inhospitable for Tourism Investment

Greece lags behind most of its regional competitors in tourism competitiveness. It lies 24th among 124 countries, according to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index presented recently by the World Economic Forum.

The statement issued jointly – for the first time – by the Federation of Greek Industries and the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises indicates that Spain is 15th, Cyprus is 20th and Portugal is 22nd, while behind Greece are Croatia (38th), Turkey (52nd) and Egypt (58th).

The same index says the strong points of this country are its excellent conditions of general hygiene, ranked third in the world, its security (18th) and cultural resources (23rd). These are strengthened by the positive attitude of Greeks toward tourists (23rd) and the priority of tourism for the government (22nd).

However, Greece fares badly in the general legal framework (57th) with problems in investments, visa issuance, ownership limitations for foreigners, then in air and road infrastructure and in specialized personnel (55th).

All countries above Greece generally have higher price levels, but also boast better value-for-money ratios, which is the most important criterion.