Greek Tourism On a Roll, Banner Year Expected

Airport data shows that Greece continued an impressive upward tourism course in August

The Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Greece’s main industry body, is anticipating some 26 million international visitor arrivals and revenue above 14.5 billion euros this year, provided that the country’s market conditions are stable. This increase in tourism figures would add an additional unit to the country’s GDP and strengthen local communities, the confederation said.

According to August data from all major airports, released by SETE on Thursday, Greece is trending towards having a banner year for tourism.

In August, international arrivals to the country increased by 4.6 percent compared to the same period of 2014, reaching almost three million arrivals. During the first eight months of the year, arrivals to Greece increased by 6.3 percent to 11.7 million.

Athens once again played a vital role in the increase of arrivals to the country, as the city recorded a significant growth of 23 percent in August on the same month last year. During the first eight months of the year, arrivals to Athens increased by 26 percent.

The data further showed that almost all destinations showed positive signs in terms of arrivals during the January-August 2015 period. The only exceptions were Rhodes, Kos and Heraklion, Crete, as the three destinations recorded decreases of 2.3 percent, 2.1 percent and 1.7 percent respectively.

“Despite the difficult economic situation and the serious problems faced by the industry in the midst of this year’s tourism season, the intensive, persistent and systematic effort of all stakeholders, entrepreneurs and workers in Greek tourism is bearing fruit, achieving another record”, SETE said in an announcement.

Greece received 24 million international visitors in 2014 who generated 13.5 billion euros in tourism revenue.