Greece Recorded €1.5 Billion in Tourism Revenues in October

Vasilis Kikilias (the Greek Minister of Tourism) has disclosed that October 2018's tourism revenues exceeded October 2019 by 3.3%.

Minister Kikilias says this is due to the increased arrivals from key markets with which strategic deals were made this year. This includes +69.2 percent from Great Britain, +0.6% from Germany and +6 per cent form France, compared with October 2019, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The arrivals from other countries increased at an impressive rate, with +28.1 percent from France, +22.3% from the United States and +83.2 percent from the United Kingdom in general.

He stated that "These performances in October prove de facto the lengthening tourist season has become reality and they mean multiple revenue not only for the branded island destinations but also for the less-popular mainland destinations, Athens, and Thessaloniki."

He also stressed that the three billion euro surplus, which will be allotted this year, would be distributed to families and vulnerable groups. The country provided EUR44 billion in various forms of assistance to its citizens during the pandemic. EUR10 billion was allocated for energy.

The Minister of Tourism announced that Greece's travel income would surpass the budget of 2021 by three billion euros by the end last month.

He also noted that Fraport's airports saw an increase in traffic by +14.9 percent between October 2019 and October 2020. In the third quarter, the turnover of accommodation and hotels increased by 22.1 percent and 19.8 percent, respectively.

Kikilias explained that even the occupancy rate at travel destination accommodation has seen a very high growth rate, reaching 100 percent.

The Minister of Tourism also stated that EUR100 million will be allocated under the program "Save-Operate" to help small hotel owners and accommodation in mountain areas that have been most severely affected by the energy crisis. He confirmed that "Tourism for all", will continue to be funded until January 2023.

The Greek authorities noted that Greece is a major tourist destination and announced that the country's income from tourism will surpass EUR18 billion this year.

 

Source: breakingtravelnews.com