Industry Reports & Trends

International arrivals to Greece dropped some 3.4 percent in the first 10 months of the year, according to recent data provided by the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE).

Find out exactly what is going on in the travel industry and what is expected for the future through the reports published from WTM 2012 (5-8 November) on leading and emerging trends, exhibitor news stories and strategic developments.

The UNWTO has launched the “One Billion Tourists: One Billion Opportunities” online campaign and is asking the public to vote for the travel tip they believe would have the greatest benefit for the people and places they visit, from using public transport to buying locally, and pledge to follow that tip when traveling.

International arrivals to Greece dropped nine percent in the first six months of the year, according to data released recently by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

International arrivals at Greek airports dropped some 2.5 percent in the first eight months of the year, according to the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE).

Bookings and revenue for hotels in Athens dropped in July and August, following the disappointing results of the first half of the year, according to the latest data (European Benchmark) released by the Athens-Attica Hotel Association in collaboration with GBR Consulting.

The overall effect on the Greek economy from tourism spending in the country by both Greek and foreign visitors and tourism investment was estimated at 34.4 billion euros or 15.1 percent of GDP in 2010, a recent study released by the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) said. Some 15.2 billion euros of that tourism spending came directly from the country’s tourism development.

“This year started poorly for all hotels and destinations in Greece, but after the elections of 17 June we had an obvious improvement in the rate of incoming bookings,” the president of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, Yiorgos Tsakiris, told GTP last month.

A new report launched today, entitled ‘Open for business’, makes the case for the travel industry to embrace open source software in order to benefit from greater innovation, respond faster to industry and consumer change, and reduce costs. The report outlines how open systems could free the industry from its reliance on proprietary software and provide travel companies with greater competitive advantage.

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni attended the Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers’ board meeting on Tuesday 11 September and announced a series of measures for Greek tourism development and ways to attract investments.