Covid-19 Impact on tourism economy

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) sees a 250 percent increase in European bookings for Easter compared to 2021.

Accommodation businesses in Greece saw turnover increase by 166.9% in November 2021 compared to the same month in 2020, ELSTAT said.

IATA, representing the world’s airline companies, is calling on national governments to swiftly ease Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Ongoing restrictions to address Covid-19 and its variants continued to impact airport traffic into 2021, according to a report by ACI Europe.

Greece’s airports saw activity gather momentum in 2021 with 12-month passenger traffic up by 80.9% compared to the same period in 2020.

Hotel occupancy levels at winter destinations in Greece reached 60% during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The majority of Greek hoteliers expect their turnover to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2023, according to a survey by the Institute for Tourism Research and Forecasts (ITEP).

Cruise activity picked up last year with 1,957 cruise ships bringing 1.32 million passengers to Greece, according to data by the Hellenic Ports Association.

Greek tourism revenues in November exceeded 2020 figures and came very close to pre-Covid-19 levels, according to the Bank of Greece.

Although global air passenger traffic last year rose from a 60% drop seen in 2020, it still remains below pre-Covid levels, according to ICAO.

Tourism professionals are expecting international arrivals to return to pre-Covid-19 levels only in 2024 or later, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.

Air traffic in Europe is on a downward trend hit hard by the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, according to Eurocontrol.

Greece last year managed to achieve €600 in spending per traveler, which reflects the tourism sector’s resilience, according to Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias.

Greece is the EU country that showed the most signs of recovery in terms of number of commercial flights in 2021 compared to 2019, according to data released by Eurostat.

Ensuring the tourism sector restarts fully in 2022 in the aftermath of Covid-19 is crucial due to its direct contribution to national economies and individual livelihoods, says a United Nations …

Global air travel managed to recover some lost ground in November but appears to be slowing down after that due to the onset of the Omicron variant.

Travel demand remains high across major international markets such as the US, UK and Australia, despite the emerge of new Covid-19 variants, according to a survey by TripAdvisor.

Greek travel agencies are calling on the government to extend relief measures to June 2022 citing lack of professional activity and losses due to Covid-19.

A new analysis by ForwardKeys reveals 4 key trends that have the potential to positively affect travel in 2022 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cruise travel to Greece is expected to recoup 2019 pre-pandemic levels in 2025, achieving a 35% improvement this year over 2021.