Industry Reports & Trends

International visitor arrivals to Greece showed positive growth during the first quarter of 2013 but revenue from tourism reported a drop, data from the Bank of Greece recently revealed.

Entrepreneurship with professionalism, the special ability of cooperation and having a strong profile are among the strategic success factors for Greek tourism, according to a study conducted by the the Westküste University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

Greece is included in the best value destinations category of Thomas Cook’s annual Holiday Cost of Living Report that was released recently.

Greece is welcoming summer 2013 with hotel prices down by 15 percent compared to 2012 with the average nightly rate standing at 78 euros, according to data released recently for the month of May by online booking company Trivago. The average nightly rate was 92 euros last year.

Last year Greece ranked 34th in the world ranking of conference and meeting destinations, having hosted only 114 conferences, according to data released recently by ICCA, the International Congress and Convention Association.

International arrivals and nights to Europe for the first months of 2013 point to a slower, but continued growth for most of the destinations referred to in the European Travel Commission’s first quarterly report “European Tourism in 2013 – Trends & Prospects” that was recently released.

The 2013 summer season for most hotels on popular (and once expensive) Greek destinations is beginning with the “worst prospects” due to a decrease in bookings made by Greeks for the Easter holiday, press reports said recently.

Athens comes in first on the list of top Easter destinations chosen by Greeks with an average overnight accommodation price at 79 euros, a rate relatively low for the season, according to data released recently by Online booking company Trivago.

Greek hoteliers overall remain optimistic for 2013 with significant improvements expected in occupancy while expectations on room rates vary depending on the type (city or resort) of hotel, according to the latest tourism barometer report conducted by GBR Consulting on the expectations of the Greek hospitality sector for the second quarter of 2013.

Latest findings from Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) indicate that traveler-focused policies, taking into account the impact of trip-related stress, could help companies improve traveler wellbeing at the same time as improving corporate productivity by up to 32 percent.