In June, foreign races on “El. Venizelos” and at its airports FraportAccording to the Minister of Tourism, Vasilis Kikilias.

This year’s June arrivals record a very large increase compared to the corresponding period last year (1,198,000), as well as a slight increase compared to the “cloudless” June 2019 (3,477,900).

The goal is to extend the tourist season.

Mr. Kikilias confirmed that despite the many global crises faced by our country, the picture of tourist flows and travel income is considered very satisfactory, which is based on the planning carried out by the Ministry of Tourism with the main objectives of extending the season, but also attracting travelers, who spend large sums on holidays so that the national economy is strengthened and the “hot money” comes to the average Greek family for as long as possible.

“We are living in a global crisis and I will continue to say this because some people think that what is happening this year business as ordinary. This is not true at all, this is the result of very hard work, a very important strategy and cooperation with the private sector,” he told ERT.

In particular, referring to efforts to extend the tourist season, the Minister of Tourism stressed that one goal – to start this season earlier – has been achieved, and now the next goal is to extend the arrival of travelers until the start of winter.

“We hope that this season will end in December 2022 and therefore we are preparing many surprises and opportunities in Greece for our friends from Northern Europe. And when I talk about northern Europeans, I don’t just mean Germans. I also mean Norwegians, Swedes, Finns, Austrians, all the Scandinavian countries, maybe the French. There is a third and fourth age, there are pensioners. Considering that, unfortunately, there is an energy crisis, and the climate in Northern Europe has been harsh, cold since the beginning of September, and there is a huge need for natural gas and oil, yes, indeed, based on our strategy, we believe that this is much more. Northern European pensioners benefit from being in Greece in November, December and January than in their own countries,” he stressed.

The absolute return of Attica

The Minister of Tourism pointed to the development of tourism this year in areas of Central and Western Macedonia and the replacement of Russians and Ukrainians by other Balkan travelers, which was achieved through a targeted strategy and related agreements concluded in recent months with major tour operators and politicians in the Balkans. In addition, Greece is the first destination for Serbs and Romanians in car tourism.

Great impetus was also given to cruising. Characteristically, the cargo flow in the port of Thessaloniki increased by 280%.

Absolute comeback during this period it occurs in Athens and Attica, according to Vasilis Kikilia. “We are very happy to see this, of course, you also saw the statements that I made yesterday with Lina Mendoni from the Acropolis, which is visited by 16,000 tourists every day,” he said.

There is also very strong demand in Corfu, where the number of tourists arriving in July increased by 10% compared to the record year 2019: 2,360 flights from Europe (269 flights more than in 2019). The British, Italians, French and Poles favor the beautiful island, and the occupancy during this period exceeds 95%.

Athens prepares for 1 million visitors this week

In another interview he gave on Sunday in the British reviewerMr. Kikilias reports that Athens is bracing for 1 million visitors this week, indicating that the Greek islands are registering record tourist flows while many world-famous personalities are also visiting the country.

“This year the whole world is voting for Greece,” says Mr. Kikilias, and emphasizes that “although we have a war in Europe, the pandemic that is still with us, the energy crisis, global uncertainty, inflation, tensions with Turkey, tourists still they go. Arrivals to popular islands increased by 20%.”

The publication said that figures already show that the tourist season in Greece this year will surpass all records recorded in 2019: 33.1 million visitors, which is 3 times the country’s total population.

Of course, the British newspaper notes that “Greeks know they’re in for a harsh winter,” noting that inflation reached 11.5% in July, according to Eurostat.

Finally, economist Nikos Vetta is quoted as saying that “Greece, although now growing faster than many other countries in Europe thanks in part to tourism, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine are huge threats that cannot be ignored.”