Industry Reports & Trends

The most recent study carried out by the Research Institute for Tourism urges government to take advantage of the many opportunities open in the tourism sector to create new jobs. “Greece has a dynamic workforce, a large proportion of which do not need specialized skills but can acquire them relatively easily if required,” says the study’s author, Professor Panagiotis Pavlopoulos.

On the average, hotels in Greece’s northern capital, Thessaloniki, during the first eight months of this year posted a occupancy rate of 52%. Hoteliers say they are hardly satisfied with the result, but they say at least they have managed to increase the number of foreign overnights from last year’s 28% to 36% this year.

Arrivals to Greece during the first half of this year proved to be on a scale expected by local analysts. Arrivals to the Dodecanese resort island of Rodos, from Athens, rose by 32% to 277,308 in the first six months of the year, compared with 1999, the Civil Aviation Authority reports.

The basic causes for the low penetration rate of the Web are two: the relatively high cost of access and the lack of Greek content.

Ever larger numbers of Greek hoteliers have invested heavily in conference facilities over the past years. So far, the investment has paid off. Expenses have been covered royally as income from conference organization is substantial.

This year, a substantial number of Greek holidaymakers headed for the mountains during the peak July-August vacation period instead of heading for the beaches. “An increase in mountain tourism has been seen in the past few years, even during the summer months,” says Thimios Apostolopoulos, head of the Hellenic Tourism Organization’s section for room and apartment rentals.

The brochure for travel may fade from travel offices within the next decade, according to the latest trends in travel sales. Major tour operators are planning Internet websites, with videos of destinations, to eventually replace the now standard printed brochures, which have become relatively expensive to publish, says the World Tourism Organization.

Strong penetration of Greek tourism into the Japanese market continues unabated. The most recent achievement was the release of a second four-page supplement that focused on the latest developments in the Greek tourism sector.

Greek car rental agencies continue to expand at a rapid rate, according to a recent report from the Athens-based Research Institute, ICAP. In its third report on the car rental …

Travellers on a typical package tour pay an average of $276 in tax for their vacation, according to a study of 52 countries published in Greece. The survey was commissioned by the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises.