Greece Sees 55% Surge in Tourists from GCC Countries

Tourist traffic from GCC countries to Greece over the summer months hit a record increase of 55 percent, compared to the corresponding period in 2015, Greek travel agency Travel Plan said in an announcement on Tuesday.

According to the announcement, the increase particularly benefits destinations such as Mykonos, Santorini, Crete and also Athens, which is strongly recovering as an attractive destination for travelers from GCC countries.

More specifically, tourist traffic from Dubai and Abu Dhabi recorded the highest increase, of 70 percent and 60 percent respectively, a development mainly attributed to the visa waiver for UAE citizens visiting Greece.

Travel Plan directly serves visitors from GCC countries through its Dubai subsidiary “Greece Travel Plan DMCC” and has established strategic partnerships with travel agencies in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

In the announcement, the company said that it aims to further enhance this growth tendency of incoming tourist traffic from GCC countries to Greece by providing complete travel packages with tailor-made and VIP services.