Covid-19 Impact on tourism economy

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, international travel restrictions and low demand have put Athens’ hospitality market on hold.

Greece welcomed fewer tourists in 2020 – down by 76.5 percent – after the Covid-19 pandemic brought global travel to a halt.

Covid-19 measures and travel bans cost the Greek tourism sector 13.89 billion euros in 2020, according to the Bank of Greece.

Attica’s hotels in 2020 saw a revenue loss of 700 million euros after a severe drop of arrivals and occupancy rates due to Covid-19.

The Greek Yachting Association (GYA) has decided to cancel the Mediterranean Yacht Show (MEDYS) 2021 event, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Vaccination against the Covid-19 pandemic could be a game-changer in the recovery of business travel, says the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).

All of Greece’s regions are either labelled high or medium risk on the weekly European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) map.

Greek businesses ordered to shut down in 2020 due to Covid-19 lost more than one-third of their turnover, with the largest decrease recorded for accommodation enterprises.

The Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) is calling on the government to extend its new round of refundable financial assistance also to tourism businesses.

The global exhibition industry saw its revenues drop by 68% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry – UFI.

Airports in Greece were among those hit hardest by Covid-19 restrictions in 2020, according to European industry trade association ACI Europe.

Greek airports served 383,463 passengers in January 2021, representing an 83% decline compared to the same month last year.

Continuous measures to address Covid-19 are expected to weigh on Greece’s recovery, according to the European Commission.

Greece’s Attica region, which includes Athens, has been labeled “red” on the weekly European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Covid-19 map.

The role of vaccination in the recovery of US travel and tourism from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is considered paramount, a survey by Destination Analysts reveals.

Restaurant owners across Greece symbolically handed over their keys to the government protesting against the Covid-19 restrictions that keep their establishments closed.

International arrivals to Europe marked a 30-year low last year, down by 70% compared to 2019 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the ETC’s quarterly report.

Cruise ship arrivals and passenger visits to Greek ports dropped 95% in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The recovery of international business travel to pre-pandemic levels is expected no earlier than 2025, according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).

Almost half of all Greek nationals were unable to go on holiday in 2019 for more than a week due to financial reasons, a study by INSETE reveals.