“We have worked hard in the winter and our strategy for an earlier start to the tourism season is bearing fruit,” Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias underlined in an interview with Skai TV on Monday, noting that “the figures in Athens and Thessaloniki and the occupancy rates at the hotels and other accommodation that are open for the Easter holidays justify our efforts.”

Kikilias said that “tourism is the economy of the people in the country and the money from tourism passes directly to the real economy, supporting the available income of the Greek people and of small and medium-sized enterprises.”

At the same time, he pointed out that tourism is the main tool for regional development that Greece offers.

“Our small islands and the mountainous areas attract investments and keep their population due to the income from tourism,” he said.

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.