Key Tourism Figures 2018: Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism

Greece stands out for its unique authentic travel experiences

Tourism has been a top priority in our government’s agenda. With our concrete tourism policy, the first to be implemented on a national and regional scale, we achieved unprecedented tourism growth for four consecutive years.

We strengthened our international presence and launched Greece successfully as a global attractive 365-day destination that stands out for its unique authentic travel experiences.

We increased inbound tourism by 25 percent in the years 2015-2017 with consecutive historical records and in international arrivals, revenue and all tourism figures. In 2017 we broke the barrier of 30 million tourists including cruises, six more million than three years ago, and 2018 has been an exceptional year. Greece has attracted about 2 more million tourists. For the first six months we achieved a 19 percent increase in arrivals and also a 19 percent growth in revenue, the highest performance of all times. Βy the end of the year we expect to significantly exceed our initial target of 32 million international visitors, a new all-time record.

Our policy has focused on sustainable and balanced tourism growth that will enhance our travelers experience in each Greek destination, while creating new benefits for the local communities, through new sources of income, new jobs, new investments and new business activity that are essential for economic and social prosperity.

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We work closely with all to maintain Greece’s strong momentum in tourism and introduce all the new fascinating opportunities our visitors can enjoy…

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Our success in tourism was achieved strategically by extending the traditional summer season and enhancing winter tourism. We opened new dynamic foreign markets with 6 out of 10 tourists in Greece being of high income, high purchasing power and higher education. We promoted new fascinating Greek destinations and accomplished increased air connectivity year-round, which is the key to further tourism growth. We developed thematic tourism and promoted the authentic experiences our visitors can enjoy throughout the year, linked to our enormous history and culture, religious and pilgrimage tours, cruises, yachting and diving, luxury vacation, health tourism and wellness, activities in nature, city-break, MICE and the gastronomy. And by doing so we created an attractive environment for new investments of high-added value, with more than 350 projects in 4 and 5-star hotels, that created 26,000 new beds across Greece.

We have set in motion our plan for the next day to further promote year-round tourism in destinations ready to support it. We promote dynamic packages and new thematic experiences in popular and emerging Greek destinations. We implement policies to support innovation, digitalization, high-quality and increased competitiveness in our tourism services. And with GNTO’s targeted marketing plan abroad, Greece is featured globally and has received several international awards and distinctions as a top destination for 2018. We work closely with all 13 Greek Regions, local authorities and the private sector, to maintain Greece’s strong momentum in tourism and introduce all the new fascinating opportunities our visitors can enjoy in Greece, as the most-wanted and fashionable destination in the global travel market.