“Figures released by the Bank of Greece confirm the total restart of tourism and the expansion of the tourist season,” Tourism Minister Vasilis Kikilias told ANA-MPA on Monday (Greece time) and stressed that “this result comes after hard work and with the markets of Russia, China and Ukraine closed”.
The Bank of Greece said that the fourth quarter of 2022 (October, November and December) recorded tourist revenue of 2.071 billion euros, with early bookings for 2023 already up 20 per cent and passenger traffic in Greek airports up 3.1 per cent in January compared with the same month in 2019, Kikilias said, adding that these figures confirmed our strategy for tourism 365 days a year in Greece.
Greece also was among the top destinations in Europe to win over travelers last year achieving a major rebound, according to the latest report released by European Travel Commission (ETC).
In the ETC report titled European Tourism: Trends and Prospects during Q4 2022, Greece was among the countries recording the fastest recovery compared to pre-pandemic 2019. One in two destinations recovered more than 80 per cent of their pre-Covid foreign arrivals with destinations in the southern Mediterranean posting the fastest recovery as the year ended.
Affordable destinations such as Turkey (-2 per cent), Luxembourg (-4 per cent), Serbia (-6 per cent), Greece (-6 per cent), and Portugal (-7 per cent) won over more travelers and are fast approaching 2019 levels.
In addition, European air traffic figures by country based on data until December 2022 shows that Greece, Croatia and Portugal were all above 2019 levels.
Meanwhile, the Hellenic-Thai Chamber of Commerce (HTCC) is actively promoting Greece as a tourist destination according to a recent presentation given by a delegation of Greek travel agents, with some 50 Thai agencies being briefed, Travel Daily News reported. The participants had the opportunity to taste Greek food and wines provided by the Olive Greek Mediterranean Restaurant in Bangkok and the importing company M Dynamics Asia Co. Chairman of the Hellenic-Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thanasis Tsepisis addressed the participants presenting the role of HTCC in supporting Thai and Greek companies interested in collaborating.
“Both our counties are famous for their unique landscape, their pristine beaches and lovely weather, their gastronomy and diverse cuisine, their culture and hospitality,” said Alexandra Christodoulea, Economic & Commercial Counsellor for the Greek Embassy in Bangkok.
“With so much in common, we definitely can achieve better cooperation in the field of tourism and increase significantly our presence in the tourist markets. Tourism in Greece, exactly as tourism in Thailand, has been a key element of the economic activity in the country and one of the country’s most important sectors. Exactly as Thailand in Asia, Greece has been a major tourist destination and attraction in Europe, since the 1960s mostly due to its rich culture and history, as well as its long coastline, many islands, and beaches. Both our counties are famous for their unique landscape, their pristine beaches and lovely weather, their gastronomy and diverse cuisine, and their culture and hospitality. With so much in common, we definitely can achieve a better cooperation in the field of tourism and increase significantly our presence in the tourist markets.”
