ECONOMY

Tourists spend most on retail

Foreign holidaymakers in Greece prefer to spend most of their money on shopping when making Visa transactions, according to data published by Visa Europe.

Total consumer spending of incoming tourism in Greece with Visa credit cards in the first four months of the year amounted to 245 million euros, which constitutes a significant 14.3 percent increase over the same period last year. Visitors from Cyprus continued to command the biggest share of consumer spending, with 70 million euros, a 14.7 percent rise compared to 2010.

Tourists from the United Kingdom follow with 35.4 million euros, ahead of Americans, the French, the Russians, Swedish, Germans, Norwegians, Australians and the Italians.

Cash withdrawals with the use of Visa cards (credit, debit or prepaid) by foreign visitors amounted to 143 million euros in the January-April period, up 18 percent on last year.

Retail spending grew by 6.3 percent, reaching 37.4 million euros, followed by spending on hotels, at 26.9 million euros, a 22.7 rise over 2010.

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