Arrivals Down, Jobs Lost

International arrivals to Greece were reduced nearly close to 10 percent in the first six months of the year compared with the same period of 2008, according to the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises.

The association recently provided updated information on international arrivals from 13 of Greece’s largest airports for the January-June period.

This follows the data, again provided by the association, of foreign arrivals at the same airports for the first five months of 2009, which showed a decrease of 9.62 percent when compared to 2008.

The reduction in numbers shows the loss of more than 560,000 tourists, which in turn translates into the loss of more than 19,000 jobs, the association noted.

In terms of revenue, the association stressed that the rate of decline in revenue would be even higher since discounts and special offers not only continued but also expanded in June and are to continue for the remaining months of the summer.

The association underlined in a statement that the failure to minimize the losses of this year’s tourism is due to the lack of a rational tourism policy and the pointless delay of the launch of this year’s advertising campaign, “which in fact is ineffective.”

According to the association, concerns are expressed also for 2010 due to the lack of planning, lack of overall targets and lack of general involvement in the sector by the State.

The association once again advised the state to collaborate with the private sector to address structural problems Greek tourism faces.