Tourist bookings from the United States and Britain are showing an increasing trend, despite political and economic uncertainty in Greece.
The decline of the euro against the US dollar and the British pound has given an extra perk for the two countries’ tourists to visit the already popular holiday destination.
At the same time, the increase of the Swiss franc against the euro is expected to entice more Swiss people to visit Greece.
It is estimated that these three markets together account for roughly 3 million travellers to Greece each year, according to Greek newspaper “Kathimerini.”
The Hellenic-American Tourism Chamber announced that bookings this month from the US to Greece for 2015 are showing a 23% year-on-year increase.
Also, data released on Thursday by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) show Greece as one of the most favorable destinations for Britons. ABTA noted that early bookings have been soaring as, depending on the tour operator, growth in January looks set to come in at between 30% and 50%.
Figures from the first nine months of 2014 show that the forecast for a total 24 million arrivals from abroad in 2014 will be achieved. January-September arrivals totalled 20.7 million, 20% up from a year earlier, while arrivals in the 12 months of 2013 had amounted to 20.1 million. Comparing the figures of the first nine months of 2014 to those in 2012 are even more impressive, showing an increase of 6 million visitors last year.
Bank of Greece (BoG) data show that tourism receipts in the first nine months of 2014 exceeded 12 billion euros, posting a 10.9% annual increase. The biggest rise in revenue as well as arrivals was from the US and French markets.
The increase in new airlines traveling to Greek airports in 2014 helped boost arrivals that reached record levels, according to data released on Thursday by the Civil Aviation Authority. The country’s airports served 45 million passengers last year, up 17% compared to 38.45 million in 2013.
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