Bank Of Greece Survey Shows Drop In Foreign Arrivals

The first half of 2009 saw foreign arrivals decline by 10.3 percent compared with those of the first half of 2008, according to a survey on nonresident arrivals from abroad for the first half of 2009. The survey was carried out by the Bank of Greece at the country’s border stations (airports, ports, roads and railways) and the data was released by the National Statistical Service of Greece.

According to the survey, arrivals from Europe, which account for the largest share of Greece’s tourism market (89.4 percent) showed a 10.3 reduction for the first half of 2009 against the corresponding period of 2008, while arrivals of European Union member states recorded a 13.4 percent decrease.

A significant reduction of arrivals was seen in the first half of 2009 compared to 2008 from Germany (-19.9 percent) and the U.K. (-19.7 percent) while a significant increase in arrivals (57.1 percent) was noted from other European countries.

In regards to means of transport and point of entry the survey showed that during the first half of 2009, airports with the heaviest traffic were those of Athens (24.9 percent), Heraklio (11.3 percent), Rodos (7.2 percent), Thessaloniki (6 percent) and Kerkyra (3.9 percent).