Tourism

The government announced on Monday the details of its measures regarding the cruise levy, the resilience fee on accommodation and other measures concerning tourism that aim at destination decongestion and state revenue growth, for environmental purposes.

A ban on new licences for short-term rentals in three districts in central Athens will be in force for at least a year, the Greek government said on Monday, also raising the tax on such holiday lets.

The 35 million tourist arrivals expected this year are reflected in the performance of leading companies linked to tourism. The strengthening of the first-half figures of Aegean Airlines,

Athens International Airport and Autohellas are consistent with the tourism explosion, but also highlight the need for infrastructure improvement.

In 2023, Bulgarian tourists ranked third in terms of visits to Greece, following Germans and British tourists. Bulgarians made a total of 2.911 million visits to Greece, marking a 56% increase from the previous year. This surge in visits has elevated Bulgaria's position in the rankings by two spots.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism is set to request an increased budget for national tourism advertising in 2025. Although specific figures have not been disclosed, Deputy Minister Irena Georgieva indicated that the department is not seeking a doubling of the budget. She cited the "delicacy of the situation" due to upcoming elections as a reason for not specifying the amount.

The Climate Resilience Fee, imposed on hotel rooms but also on short-term rentals, is increasing, as is the transient fee, paid to municipalities, alongside a considerable hike in the disembarkation fee for cruise passengers in saturated destinations such as Mykonos and Santorini, are the main effects of the new government policy on tourism.

Article on the interventions announced by Kyriakos Mitsotakis at TIF, was published by Bloomberg, saying that “the Greek prime minister announced measures aimed at addressing the negative impact of over-tourism as visitors continue to arrive in the country in record numbers after the pandemic.”

Greece plans to impose a 20-euro levy on cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during the peak summer season, in a bid to avert overtourism, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday.

Greece relies heavily on tourism, the main driver of the country's economy which is still recovering from a decade-long crisis that wiped out a fourth of its output.

It has been a difficult season for Antalya's hoteliers with several events impacting tourism activity, but tourist inflows from Europe are expected to pick up in October, says Kaan Kavaloğlu, the president of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers' and Investors' Association (AKTOB).

The average price of Greek hotels posted a fresh13.7% annual increase in July, reaching 174 euros from €153 in the same month last year. At the same time, occupancy increased marginally to 82.8%, a level considered as very healthy.