Tourist arrivals at Greek airports dropped by an annual rate of 7.8 percent in the first 10 months of the year, data released last week revealed as industry officials warned of another tough year ahead.

The Institute of Tourism Research & Forecasting (ITEP) said the number of tourists arriving at Greek airports fell 6.2 percent year-on-year in October.

Athens and the islands of Mykonos and Santorini were among the worst-hit destinations.

It said Greek tourism receipts dropped 11.7 percent year-on-year in the January-September period, with hotels hit hardest by the impact of the economic crisis.

“The big question is how the sector will fare in 2010,” ITEP said in a statement.

Initial indications show that the rebound in Greek tourism will be “exceptionally slow,” according to the Panhellenic Federation of Tourism Enterprises (POET), which took part in London’s World Travel Market earlier this month.

POET, which represents mainly travel agents, said that initial bookings along with broader market trends point to a bleak upcoming season.

“Greek tourism is being weighed down more by these international conditions due to its competitive disadvantages, in comparison with countries not in the eurozone, and the unresolved problems in the sector,” POET added in a statement.