SETE: Greek Tourism on Steady Growth Course

The Greek tourism sector’s contribution to the economy has been on a course of constant growth, according to a report released by the Greek Tourism Confederation’s (SETE) intelligence body.

Titled “Long-term Trends (1983 – 2016) in Tourism and Other Sectors of the Greek Economy”, the survey found that employment in tourism has been increasing steadily over the past 30 years at an average annual rate of 2.8 percent. The upward trend became stronger from 2014 onwards, when the sector became a highly export-oriented, internationally competitive sector.

Yiannis Retsos

“Since the beginning of the crisis, tourism has created new jobs, helped reduce joblessness, especially for groups with reduced chances of employment such as women and young people, and continues to support local family income,” said SETE’s new president, Yiannis Retsos. “It is our obligation to continue, even more systematically, to serve as a catalyst and strengthen local communities.”

In 2016, tourism accounted for some 341.2 thousand jobs as well as for an impressive increase in part-time positions.

Indicatively, employment in tourism rose from 3.9 percent in 1983 to 9.3 percent in 2016 with the industry accounting for 10.2 percent of total employment in the third quarter of 2016 – the third biggest employer after trade (17.8 percent) and the primary sector (12.2 percent).

A recent SETE study found that tourism is estimated at accounting for more than one million direct or indirect jobs by 2021.