Industry Reports & Trends

Amadeus recently published the results of its independent study on travel agent commissions and used the results to provide valuable insight to tour operators worldwide and maximize service fee revenue.

According to statistics gathered by the National Statistics Service of Greece there has been an increase in visitors to museums and archeological sites throughout Greece in 2007 compared with figures for 2006.

The president of the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agencies (HATTA), Yiannis Evangelou, estimates that tourist arrivals from Russia could reach some 500,000 in the next two years. He believes that Greece should proceed with carefully studied moves and the cooperation of all tourism bodies in order to expand its share of the Russian market for the entire calendar year.

The annual publication of the International Congress and Convention Association recently found Thessaloniki amongst the top one hundred conference destination cities for the third year in a row.

Greece earned one of the last places amongst the 12 most important European destinations in a recent poll conducted by the German tourism magazine Touristik Report, of which the judges were 34 of the most powerful people in the European tourism trade. Amongst the judges were major tour operators, tourism agents and significant representatives of the tourism trade.

Greece holds the top spot among 28 destinations in the world with 67 percent of tourists saying that this country is the most attractive place for vacations, according to a survey by the German tour operator TUI, presented at the recent 11th Thessaloniki Forum.

The Development Company of the Cyclades conducted a two-year study to identify the characteristics of tourism within the Cyclades. The specific case study centered on Santorini. Some 4,250 people participated in the research that took place in 2005/2006 and covered the months of April to October.

The Greek statistical and economic data service Hellastat SA recently conducted a study that shows the current economic conditions for domestic marina operators are favorable.

Tourism benefits for Athens following the Champions League Final last month are promising. Already, according to Washington-based KRC Research, Athens has benefited a total of 26 million euros from hosting the event.

Kapa Research, a subsidiary of the Kalofolias group, recently announced the results for present trends in Greek tourism. The survey shows the realization of a holiday is still a major priority for the Greek traveler who, as a rule, chooses domestic destinations over international.