Monday, September 5, 2011
The Greek tourism sector is expected to exceed the target of 10% annual increase this year, as data from the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) confirm a 10 to 12 % increase in both arrivals and revenues. According to the head of SETE, Andreas Andreadis, the number of foreign visitors to Greece is expected to reach an unprecedented 16.5 million this year.
Earlier reports by SETE indicated that international tourist arrivals at the country’s 13 main airports in the year’s first seven months amounted to 6,458,612, against 5,874,144 in the same period last year.
All airports posted an increase, except for Athens, which declined by 2.74% in the period. Leading the increase were the airports of Rhodes and Kos, by 28% and 26% respectively, while Thessaloniki airport enjoyed an 11.77% rise in arrivals.
Addressing Serbian media during his recent visit to Belgrade, Culture & Tourism Minister Yeroulanos remarked that Greece’s strategy to reach out to new markets is paying off, pointing out that the number of visitors originating from Turkey rose by 180%, from Israel by 120% and from Russia, by 90%.
Finally, Yeroulanos noted that the goal is for Greece to secure a place among the world’s top ten tourist destinations, sometime within the next ten years.
