ECONOMY

Good omens from French tourism market

Good omens from French tourism market

One of the key objectives for Greek tourism this season is the coverage of losses suffered last year in terms of arrivals and takings from French tourists, and there are already two positive signs in that direction.

Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) chief Andreas Andreadis argues that the likely victory of Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential elections increases the chances of a rise in tourism demand in France for Greece and generates a favorable framework for the completion of the Greek bailout review.

The other positive sign for the entire season is the 127,767 additional air seats from France to Greek destinations this year compared to 2016, according to SETE figures.

However, the year got off to a far from positive start in this respect: Bank of Greece data have shown that in January and February there was a 27.7 percent decline in visitors from France compared to the same period in 2016, and a 29 percent drop in revenues, which reached 8.8 million euros against 12.4 million a year earlier.

In 2016 the spending of French visitors to Greece shrank 25.6 percent or 305 million euros to reach 888.8 million, while arrivals fell 13.7 percent to 1.3 million.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.