Tag Archives: tourism

German tour operators have reacted with anger and little understanding to the recent increase of fees for cruise passengers and of accommodation taxes announced by the Greek tourism Ministry last week. In a letter to the Ministry the German Travel Association (DRV) has asked for a transitional period in the …

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Higher tourist arrivals helped drive up Greece’s services balance surplus in the first seven months of 2024, according to figures for the balance of payments in January-July 2024 released by the Bank of Greece on Friday. It attributed the  increase to, primarily, the travel balance and, secondarily, the transport and …

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday  that the “sustainable transport and tourism” portfolio has been assigned to Greece’s European Commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas. During a press conference after a meeting with the presidents of the political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Commission President said that …

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Greece needs to reduce rampant construction and protect water resources and coastal areas if it wants to maintain a healthy tourism industry across its mountainous mainland and beach-lined islands, the country’s ombudsman said in a report on Thursday. Some 33 million people visited Greece in 2023, 5 million more than …

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Greece’s Public Employment Service (DYPA) launched on Monday a new free “JOBmatch” application and platform. The online service, which is free for employers and job seekers,  aims at those looking for work in the tourism  and the food service sectors. The interest appeared to be so big that the DYPA …

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Τourism season 2024 has started in Greece with around 80,000 job vacancies in hotels, bars and restaurants triggering serious concern among employers who fear decrease on service they can offer. Αnd thus in a year where bookings predict a new tourism record in the country. The tourism and food industry …

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More than 32.7 million tourists visited Greece in 2023, breaking another record. Receipts from tourism reached 20.5 billion euros. According to data from the Bank of Greece issued on Wednesday, February 21,  travel receipts showed an increase of 15.7% compared to 2022 and amounted to 20,459.5 billion euros. This development …

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Passenger traffic at the Athens International Airport set a new all-time record in 2023, totaling 28,174,150 passengers, breaking the 28 million passengers barrier for the first time and leaving behind the previous record of 25.57 million of 2019. Passenger traffic in December was 1.86 million, up 17.1% from 2022 and …

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Just as the war in Ukraine had has a limited impact on Greece’s tourism sector, which had no problem handling the loss of visitors from Russia, the impact of the conflict in Gaza will be similarly limited, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday. “I consider that our tourism …

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Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the Climate Change can be an opportunity for the country’s tourism. In an interview with Bloomberg TV last Friday, the Greek PM said “Climate change is an opportunity to expand the tourism season,” reiterating in fact the permanent New Democracy doctrine that “every …

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Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis unpleasantly surprised with a statement massively lacking empathy and suggesting that the only thing that can “counterbalance” sombre mood in Greece due to extensive wildfires damages is the “good performance of economy.” While the wildfire in Evros, NE Greece, keeps raging for almost two weeks, …

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An allowance of 534 euros per month for up to three months will be provided for employees of businesses that were forced to close due to the fires, Labor Minister Adonis Georgiadis said on Monday. “We have already submitted an amendment to the finance ministry bill, according to which businesses, …

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All-inclusive package holidays have jumped in price for Mediterranean hotspots including Majorca and Crete. The average price of a week with full food and board in Majorca in Spain is up 21%. Prices for Tenerife have risen more than 22%, figures from TravelSupermarket showed. Crete in Greece is 25% more …

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The aim of the new government is to see Greek tourism industry becoming ‘strong, competitive and sustainable,” noted the new Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, speaking at the ministry handover ceremony on Tuesday, with outgoing caretaker Tourism Minister Ioanna Dretta. Speaking of the ministry’s key policies alongside the new Deputy Minister …

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New Democracy Foreign Minister until April 2023 and candidate for the Parliament, Nikos Dendias, said on Tuesday that tourism is not going as well as it was expected. Speaking to Skai TV, Dendias said “the tourism season is not going well. No, it’s not good. Or to put it another …

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Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) is preparing to step up the war on tax evasion this summer by enlisting the aid of a new digital “weapon” dubbed “ELEGXOSLive”, in hopes of boosting tax compliance on Greek islands and other tourist areas. The digital app will allow on-the-spot access …

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The Corinth Canal will reopen to navigation on June 1, 2023 and for four months, that is until September 30,, the Canal’s managing company announced on Friday. The Corinth Canal company said that the final stages of restoration work on the canal will resume on October 1 and will continue …

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Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO/ΕΟΤ) released its tourism season 2023 campaign video with the message “Greece. A life-changing experience.” The campaign aims to attract the international audience and enhance the demand for vacations in Greece in the current tourism period, GNTO said on Thursday.  However, the video appears to target …

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Chicken, goats, sheep and rabbit in your picturesque home yard in the village? Forget it! The Greek government issued a decision to ban domestic animals in cities and villages yards especially in those with touristic interest. To start with, the ban will be implemented first on the island of Crete …

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Tourism businesses in Greece will be able to hire employees from third countries to meet staff demands after a relevant bill was revised to include the sector, the government announced last week. According to media, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Syria and Egypt are the third countries to which Greece’s tourism can turn now to …

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