Ministry working on 2009 tourism plan
The government is putting together a series of measures aimed at helping the tourism sector – one of the country’s largest industries – to continue growing in the 2009 season. The steps were discussed at a meeting of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos and Economy and Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis. The Tourism Ministry is aiming to improve infrastructure in the sector, including marinas, said a senior government source. There will also be an increase in the funds allocated to promoting Greece abroad, particularly in markets from which Greece has traditionally attracted visitors, such as Britain and Germany. Senior government officials said they are optimistic about the course of the season over the next two months after a positive start to the year. Tourist arrivals in the first six months of the year – via the country’s main airports – rose 3 percent over the same period last year, despite forecasts by many of an annual drop in 2008 numbers. The global economic slowdown and appreciating euro is seen as keeping a lid on the growth of tourist numbers this year. But the number of Russian tourists has jumped 35 percent on an annual basis, while 15 percent more Bulgarians and Chinese have so far decided to visit Greece.
