Russian arrivals increasing this fall
The rise in arrivals of Russian tourists continues at an impressive rate this fall, as new flights to Greece have been added for the season.
In fact, in the first nine months of the year arrivals from Russia have already exceeded the number of Russian visitors over the whole of last year.
Data from the Greek general consulate in Moscow for the January-September period showed a remarkable 57.5 percent rise in the number of visas issued compared with the first nine months of 2012, amounting to 881,990. More than one in three of them (318,000) were for multiple visits to Greece.
The Association of Thessaloniki Hoteliers also said that in the year to end-August Russians represented the biggest group of foreign guests in hotels at the country’s second city, amounting to 56,295. This constituted a yearly growth of 68.7 percent.
Travel receipts from Russian tourists during the first seven months of 2013 rose by 32.4 percent from the same period in 2012, as they spent a total of 591.5 million euros up until the end of July.
