Arrivals from abroad reach 17.7 million this year
Foreign tourism arrivals in 2013 have beaten all records and expectations, as, according to the Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises (SETE), the latest estimate for the whole of the year is a total of 17.7 million visitors to Greece. The figure for the year to end-October already stands at more than 17 million.
On the revenues front, SETE estimates that tourism has brought in 11.7 billion euros this year, one of the best figures ever, while that number rises to 12.2 billion when takings from cruise passengers are also taken into account.
The latest data from the Civil Aviation Authority that Kathimerini has seen show an 8.8 percent increase in arrivals by air to Greek airports in the first 11 months of the year, reaching 13.95 million. Domestic arrivals in the same period posted a 2.3 percent drop, amounting to 4.68 million.
In November alone, foreign arrivals by plane posted a 7.7 percent annual increase to 319,794, while domestic arrivals fell 0.8 percent to 324,667.
In Cyprus, arrivals from abroad in the first 11 months of the year fell 2.5 percent on an annual basis to 2.41 million, according to the island’s statistical service.
