Arrivals to the islands of the South-East Aegean increased by 17% in the first seven days of August 2022 compared to the corresponding period of 2019, announced the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias, in an interview he gave to the morning show of t/s Sky and to the journalists Nikos Hypofantis and Artemis Mantis.
The minister emphasized that a few months ago no one could have imagined that with all these difficulties (war in Ukraine, inflation, energy crisis, Greek-Turkish, pandemic) Greece would succeed in tourism, not only to approach, but also to surpass in some areas the performance of 2019, greatly strengthening the national economy and the income of the average Greek family.
The excellent course of tourism, as mentioned by Mr. Kikilias, is also reflected in short-term rentals (Airbnb), in which an increase of 26.5% is recorded in the months of July, August and September compared to the corresponding months of 2019.
“We have done a lot of hard work and a lot of effort has been made not only by me, but also by all the people in the tourism industry, from the private sector, the Greek government. The farmers give us the fruits, the vegetables, the products from the Greek land, in our hotels and in our restaurants, the commercial world is there in every tourist area and that is how it develops. The health shops are full because of tourism and 8 out of 10 investments in Greece are now tourism, either hotel or infrastructure. And of course there is no doubt that hundreds of thousands of professions expect from tourism and live from it. I can’t help but be happy with these figures because the entire Greek economy is involved in this network. Good multinationals, good big hoteliers, good tour operators, airlines are good, but I work, we work for the average Greek family, for the worker in the tourism. We must support these people. A difficult winter is coming. We started the season earlier, from the beginning of March and we aspire, and I say this sincerely, to finish it in December ’22”, he said characteristically.
The Minister of Tourism also spoke about the campaign that will be carried out in collaboration with the EOT in Northern and Central European countries with the aim of attracting travelers in autumn and winter.
“The week before the TIF, in consultation with the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, I will travel to Germany and tour major cities in the country so that we can promote with the German tour operators that it is in the interest of the country’s retirees, it is more economical for them, to live 1-3 months in Greece – in Crete, in Rhodes, in Kos, in Corfu, in Athens, in Thessaloniki – rather than staying at home and paying for natural gas and oil. We will also campaign, with the aim of extending tourist season – in the countries of Northern Europe, in Scandinavia but also in France, Switzerland” said the minister.
Finally, Mr. Kikilias referred to Athens and the very large travel flows observed this year, which gave a significant breath of fresh air to the tourism and health and commercial professionals after many years of difficulties (demonstrations, financial crisis, pandemic). As he said, the agreement reached with the American airlines for 63 direct flights per week from the USA to “El. Venizelos” had a catalytic role, as a result of which the capital was filled from the beginning of March with high spenders, travelers who spend a lot and their accommodation is multi-day, thereby significantly strengthening the Greek businesses of the center and the Athenian Riviera.
Source: Capital
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