The UK’s Guardian has reported that this year is looking better than ever for Greek tourism.
The piece highlighted that nine hotels are being built or restored around the city center and that a minor construction boom is taking place off the back of the expected strong tourism numbers this season.
 
According to the article, around 4.5 million tourists are expected this year in Athens alone. Last year was a record-breaking year for the Greek tourism industry with over 23 million holidaymakers visiting the country despite the ongoing political and economic turmoil. Tourism receipts from the bumper year generated around 24 percent of the country’s GDP in 2015.
Tourism provides one in five jobs in Greece, and so another strong year could provide a much-needed boost to the economy at a time when VAT and tax hikes are looking over most people’s heads.
Greece’s tourism federation SETE expects the number of visitors to be 25 million this year. The main driver behind this trend is Greece’s perceived safety compared to other traditional holiday destinations, such as Egypt, Tunisia or Turkey, where the tourism industry has all but collapsed in the face of recent attacks.
“It’s going to be a challenge but our hope is that we will see an improvement on record numbers again,” said Yiannis Retsos, president of the Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers in his comments to the Guardian. “Tourism is all about positive psychology and Greece is a safe place in the south-east Mediterranean region.”
It’s hoped that a successful resolution to the country’s current negotiations plus a satisfactory outcome for the refugee crisis will provide the stability necessary to attract even more visitors this year.
“Tourism is all about positive psychology and Greece is a safe place in the south-east Mediterranean region.”