SETE Chief Tweet of Q1 Dip in Greece Bookings Creates a Stir

A tweet (seen below) on Wednesday by Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) President Andreas Andreadis that tourism bookings for 2016 have taken a downturn compared to last year, has gotten the industry on edge.

Andreadis cited Amadeus figures for the first three months of the year which reveal a 1 percent drop in reservations from major markets including Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands.

The findings attribute the decline to the Brussels attacks earlier this year. At the same time, the ongoing refugee crisis is also taking a toll on Greek tourism with Spain stepping in and reporting a 4 percent increase against last year.

Andreadis has repeatedly pointed the finger at the government for creating insecurity in the sector with rash decisions and plans to tax the country’s only money-producing industry. A case in point is the recently proposed “sleep tax” which has angered hoteliers across Greece and which comes on top of an expected hike in value-added tax on accommodation and food services to 24 percent.