Industry Reports & Trends

A tweet on Wednesday by Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) President Andreas Andreadis that tourism bookings for 2016 have taken a downturn compared to last year, has gotten the industry on edge.

A total of 5.7 million passengers passed through Greek airports during the first three months of the year, up 16.9 percent compared to the same period in 2015, which had handled 4.9 million passengers, according to data released on Tuesday by the Civil Aviation Authority.

For millennials – the computer-savvy 20- to 30-somethings – life is all at your fingertips, and with new technology mushrooming at unspeakable speeds, it’s time the hospitality industry take heed, especially of a group that’s been predicted to become its biggest customers by 2020.

Tax instability, access to funding and bureaucracy are among the main reasons why 39 percent of Greek companies are considering transferring their businesses abroad, according to a survey released by Endeavor Greece.

Athens hotels have been seeing the numbers of their clientele drop since last fall through to February this year, according to the Athens-Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association.

The Greek tourism sector is rubbing its hands in expectation of the tourists who have dropped neighboring Turkey from their holiday agenda and instead opted for Greek shores.

Greek tourism seems to slowing down this year according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) which predicts that tourism investment in Greece is set to drop, adding however that travel receipts will mark a small rise.

Greek Independence Day, the national holiday celebrated annually in Greece on March 25, is on Friday, giving all of us an automatic long weekend! According to a recent survey, Thessaloniki is the top choice of Greek travellers.

The recent barrage of terror strikes and the ongoing animosity between Russia and Turkey have diverted travelers to Greece and Bulgaria, with both countries stepping up their campaigns to attract more Russian tourists.

Travel and tourism last year added 7.2 million jobs to the global economy and contributed over $ 7.2 trillion in GDP, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Economic Impact Report 2016.