Tourism

Bulgaria's Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova will open a meeting of the Danubian countries devoted to sustainable tourism through cooperation and efficient use of EU funds and investments.

By Stathis Kousounis

Undeclared but legal earnings amounting to at least 120 million euros will this year be added to the incomes of workers in tourism professions in the form of tips that visitors to this country are expected to leave during their vacations in Greece.

AccorHotels is strengthening its digital presence, turning its distribution platform AccorHotels.com into a marketing system for selected independent hotels.

The service will gradually become available to hoteliers in the first target markets from the end of June, while the customers will be able to make use of it from July.

A total of 196,799 tourists visited Belgrade in the first four months of 2015 - a ten-percent increase, the Tourism Organization of Belgrade said on Thursday.

In the same period, 392,129 overnight stays were registered in the capital - a 12-percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Tourism representatives expect a rush in the sector after the Ramadan period in July, mainly in the domestic market as well as the Middle Eastern markets. 

Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the Greek ruins at the Valley of the Temples situated in the south-west coast of Sicily. Tourism in the region is set to change following the development of a drone’s-eye view of the site developed by Helmut Hlavacs from the University of Vienna.

Amid a sharp drop in the number of foreign arrivals in Podgorica in the past few years, the city assembly this week will discuss ways to boost tourism in the city, including attracting members of the Montenegrin diaspora and foreign media.  

Tourist agencies are being urged to brainstorm on best ways to overcome perceived weak points and fully tap the city's tourism potential.

By Stathis Kousounis

An increase in the value-added tax on tourism accommodation to non-competitive levels would threaten several Athens hotels with closure next year, Alexandros Vassilikos, the head of Athens-Attica Hoteliers Association, told Kathimerini.

Travel and tourism sectors generated, either directly or indirectly, $96 billion of Turkey?s GDP in 2014, making its direct contribution to GDP impact greater than many sectors except for the retail and agriculture sectors, according to a recent report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

China’s ambassador to Greece Zou Xialoi said on Wednesday that there are strong prospects between Greece and China in the tourism sector during his speech at the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum on Wednesday. He underlined that there is prospect for a further increase in flows between both countries.