It’s not just a record-breaking number of tourists pouring into Greece this year but big bucks too with revenues reaching 3.324 billion euros ($4.44 billion) in the first half of the year, a jump of 503 million euros ($672.07 million) and 17.8 percent over the same period last year when visitors stayed away in the aftermath of protests, strikes and riots against austerity.
During the month of June, tourism achieved a rise of 20.6 percent or 272 million euros ($363.42 million) in revenues.
According to data released by the Bank of Greece, the rise in travel revenues is attributed to the rise in arrivals by 12.3 percent in the period Jan.-Jun. (up by 16.1 percent in June) as well as to the increase by 4.6 percent of the expense per trip of the foreign tourists who chose Greece this summer for their holidays.
Particularly interesting for the foreseeable future is the element that the travel revenues from the countries outside the EU were bigger than the revenues coming for countries that are members of the Eurozone (1.364 million euros compared to 1.311 million euros).
It is characteristic that in the first semester of 2013 the revenues for countries outside the EU rose by 36.3 percent reaching 1.364 million euros, while the revenues from EU-27 countries rose by 7.7 percent to 1.960 million euros. The data also showed new faces from different countries have expanded.
Russians and Americans are proved to be the new dynamic protagonists of the Greek summers during this period of economic crisis. In the period January-June 2013, the Russian visitors amounted to 337,000 (47 percent more), while the revenues coming from Russian tourists reached 341 million euros (42 percent more). In the same period, American visitors were up to 166,000 (27 percent more), while in June they recorded the impressive rise of 112.7 percent. The revenues from US tourists rose by 25.4 percent reaching 184 million euros.
The arrivals from Germany presented a rise of 13.6 percent during the six-month period, but they dropped by 5.6 percent in June, while the revenues from German visitors increased by 17.8 percent reaching 542 million euros.
French visitors also played a major part in this summer period in Greece. In the first semester of 2013, 17.4 percent more French arrived in Greece, while the revenues coming from French tourists reached 256 million euros (30.7 percent more)
However, there is a steady decrease in the number of British tourists who come to Greece. During the first semester of this year the visitors from the United Kingdom were less by 15.1 percent in comparison to the same period in 2012, while the revenues from British tourists stood at 371 million euros, recording a drop of 10.9 percent.
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