Difficult Times for Tourism and Maritime Sector
Andreas Andreadis, chairman of the of the Hellenic Hotels Federation, recently informed the Business & Travel show on “sbc” that a drop in arrivals is expected for 2009 as the tourism sector will be up against a difficult period until 2010, when the market will pick up its pace.
Mr. Andreadis said that considering the fact that the Russian and Bulgarian markets represent a small share and cannot “save” Greek tourism, the recovery of the hotel industry depends directly on the traditional markets of the UK and Germany, which (used to) represent 40 percent of total tourist traffic. The chairman also stressed that the federation opposes the funding of new hotel units in overcrowded regions as they offer the market nothing but distortion.
Savvas Athanasiou, a maritime journalist, appeared on the same broadcast and informed viewers that in regards to the coastal shipping industry, only 30 percent of the fleet currently consists of newly-built high-speed ships while prices are rising.