Arrivals slightly down; Kos a winner
The number of tourists visiting Greece in the first seven months of the year fell by just over 1 percent from 2009 levels, with Athens suffering the biggest losses while the island of Kos received more visitors despite the downturn. According to data presented by the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE), 5.9 million people entered Greece via the country’s main airports between January and July, down 1.3 percent from the 5.97 million arrivals in the same period a year earlier. The biggest drop was recorded in Athens, with 1.72 million people visiting the capital, down 5.18 percent from 1.82 million visitors in 2009. The data account for visitors arriving at Greece’s 13 largest airports, which receive 95 percent of those entering the country by plane. Kos has been the tourism sector’s biggest winner so far, attracting 369,410 visitors, 10.4 percent more than last year, followed by Rhodes, which saw a 7.6 percent leap in arrivals to 753,690, SETE data showed. Experts estimate that visitor numbers to Greece this year are likely to remain at the same levels as last year, however, the sector is likely to see a drop in revenues as holidaymakers take advantage of cheaper services and spend less during their stay. Deputy Tourism Minister Giorgos Nikitiadis admitted last week that Greek tourism revenues, a key source of income for the economy, will be between 7 and 9 percent lower than in 2009 and attributed the drop-off to continued strike action harming the country’s image as a holiday destination.
