Domestic Tourism Expected To Drop This Year

Domestic tourism is expected to show a reduction of some 20 percent this year as the economic crisis is keeping Greeks home, according to recent estimations of Greek tourism professionals.

Speaking recently to the press, professionals stressed that the “purchasing power” of the Greeks had dropped significantly due mainly to tax increases, fiscal and other financial measures.

According to a recent nationwide survey conducted by the General Consumer Federation of Greece (INKA), in which 530 consumers participated, some 62 percent of Greeks said they had not planned to take a vacation this summer-an increase from 59 percent last year.

The reasons Greeks are staying home this year are: financial and job insecurity (82 percent), professional obligations (10 percent) and other reasons (eight percent).

The survey showed that 72 percent of those taking vacations would stay away only for a few days. Also, the survey showed that 50 percent would reside at a privately owned summerhouse, 24 percent at a family or friend’s summerhouse and only 26 percent would stay in a hotel or a rented room.

According to INKA’s calculations, the minimum cost for a 15-day holiday for a four-member family adds up to some 3,500 euros.

According to a separate survey conducted by Greek website zougla.gr, another reason for the drop in domestic tourism is due to the fact that Greeks are charged 25-50 percent more for package holidays in comparison to the price foreign tourists pay.