Athens September 10, : Tourism in Greece is a key component of the country’s economy is set to record the highest revenues of the year, far exceeding levels prior to Covid according to official figures. “2022 was an incredible year for Greek tourism.I’m extremely happy to report that both alternative and brand destinations on islands as well as the mainland were full of tourists and travelers this year.And we are poised to beat the numbers we saw in 2019.It has been an unprecedented year in tourism.” Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias said to Xinhua news agency.
In the year 2019, Greece registered 32 million arrivals, and around 18 billion euros in tourism-related income according to Bank of Greece (BoG) data.
The data thus this year has suggested an impressive comeback.
The tourism-related revenue was 224.5 percent more in June, and 329.3 percent higher in the period between January and June 2022 than in the same timeframes of 2021, as per the most recent BoG announcement.
When compared with the year before, revenues from tourism increased by 2.3 percent in the month of June in 2022.
A recent study conducted by a local lender Alpha Bank expects Greece’s tourism-related revenues to hit 20 billion euros by the end of the year, due to a frenzied travel market after travel restrictions were removed and a substantial boost to Greek GDP.
“After two extremely difficult times for the tourism industry, we experienced an extremely positive growth this year that has helped us greatly and also helps the Greek economy greatly.As a sector , we generally make up 25 percent of the GDP.which is an enormous amount for a country’s economy.” Alexandros Vassilikos the president of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH) told Xinhua on Friday.
Tourism was a major factor in Greece of the 7.7 percent GDP growth in the second quarter of this year, when compared to the same timeframe in 2021, as per figures published by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
The remarkable success of Greek tourism despite the current problems, like the Covid-19 pandemic in its midst along with the war between Russia and Ukraine as well as the energy crisis results of well-planned and hard work between all the players according to Kikilias.
There are many obstacles to overcome including the upgrading of infrastructure for tourism to attract more tourists, which requires the development of an effective strategy, according to the minister.
“Circumstances are still extremely unique and leave lots of questions about the future.However, we are very optimistic about the future,” Vassilikos said.
