Greek Tourism Officials Fight Against Economic Sanctions On Russia

Greek tourism professionals have opposed proposals that have been made for economic sanctions against Russia, as the situation between Russia, the Ukraine and the rest of Europe continues.

According to a report by tourism news website Tourism-Review.com, Greek tourism professionals do not agree with the idea of sanctions against Russia because of the potential impact they could have on the country’s own economic situation.

At a recent meeting held by the Greek Foreign Ministry’s Secretary General for International Economic Relations, Panagiotis Mihalos, 14 different organizations came together to discuss potential ramifications.

Greek tourism officials were among those taking part in the meeting because they were hoping to convince the government of the bigger picture and the potential damage that these sanctions could have on Greek tourism revenue.

Tourism officials predict that if these sanctions go ahead, their strong relationship with Russia will suffer.

During the first nine months of 2013, Greece recorded an increase of Russian tourist arrivals by 50 percent compared with the same period in 2012, official figures of the Greek Statistical Authority showed.

The average expenditure of Russian tourists per head is 1,079 euros while the per-night spending average of tourists from EU countries amounts to 670 euros.