Greek Tourism Confederation

Visitors are spending less time but more money in Greece, according to new data from the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE) concerning the 2016-18 period, which also suggested that the sector is heavily dependent on five markets.

Travel receipts posted a 13.6 percent annual increase in the first seven months of the year to 9.15 billion euros, while air arrivals grew 3.7 percent in January-August, according to figures released by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE).

The Finance Ministry announced on Tuesday that it has prepared a legislative act for the exemption of all Greek hotels suffering consequences due to the sudden the collapse of UK tour operator Thomas Cook from the so-called "stay-over tax" for the period from September 23 to October 10.

The Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) asked the Tourism Ministry at a meeting on Tuesday for a long-term national strategy aimed at upgrading and further enhancing of the competitiveness of the Greek tourism product, with the cooperation of the public with the private sector.

The tax competitiveness of the Greek tourism product needs to be restored, while the short-term rentals market should be regulated and an efficient national strategic plan for the sector is required "ahead of the observed slump in demand from our traditional markets," according to a report published by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE).

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sought the establishment of a new social contract between entrepreneurs, labour, and the state at a meeting today with Greece's largest business and labour organisations.

The number of people employed in the tourism sector accounted for 10.6 percent of the workforce in the third quarter of 2018, the highest since 2009, according to a study by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE).

Nearly 1.1 million tourists visited Greece from the US in 2018, against 613,000 a decade earlier, while American tourists have already spent 118.9 percent more at 75.5 million euros in the first quarter of 2019, year-on-year, indicating a surge in interest.

Greek tourism relies heavily on six markets for visitors and revenues, while five of the country's 13 regions accounted for over 80 percent of visits, according to 2018 data collected and processed by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE).

The number of visitors coming into Greece by road is slipping this year after coming to 8.8 million in 2018. These visitors accounted for 29 percent of the total of 30.3 million (without cruise passengers) who visited the country last year, according to a new study by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE) on the prospects of tourism by road this year.