Greece Expected to Welcome More Arrivals by Air in September

Scheduled airline seats for foreign arrivals at Greek regional airports are expected to rise in September by 13 percent compared to the same month last year, according to SETE Intelligence’s August 2017 monthly statistical bulletin on Greek tourism.

Citing data of the Hellenic Slot Coordination Authority, SETE Intelligence said that the increase in airline seat capacity for September will lead to 310,000 seats for arrivals from Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Russia.

Compared to the corresponding scheduling in 2016, scheduled airline seats for foreign arrivals in Greek regional airports for the whole 2017 summer season (March-October) are expected to rise by 10.3 percent overall. In August specifically, a rise in airline seats of 7.5 percent (or 221,000 seats) was anticipated.

Arrivals to Greece up in July

Moreover, SETE Intelligence’s bulletin showed that all arrival data indicators – regardless of means of transport – recorded increases in July.

International arrivals at Greece’s major airports rose by 5.7 percent in July and by 8.8 percent during the first seven months of the year.

Greece’s regional airports saw foreign arrivals up by 6.8 percent in July and by 10.6 percent between the January – July period. International arrivals at Athens Airport grew by 1.5 percent in July and by 3.8 percent in the seven-month period.

Road arrivals were up by 11.6 percent in July and by 7.8 percent in the first seven months of 2017 and sea arrivals from Italy increased by 14 percent in June and by 12.4 percent since the start of the year.

Positive data for arrivals, revenue in Jan-June

According to the Bank of Greece’s Frontier Survey, incoming traveler traffic in June was up by 13 percent, compared to June 2016 (+6.6 percent for the first six months), and travel receipts showed a 14.2 percent increase (+7.1 percent for January-June), with a slight recovery in the average per-capita expenditure in June and marginal since the beginning of the year. Greece’s increase in tourist arrivals and revenues was driven by the summer holidays of residents from the Eurozone, Russia and the United States.

Consumer Confidence Index

The Consumer Confidence Index has also improved in most Greek tourism source markets, including France Germany, Denmark and the U.S., which, according to SETE Intelligence, points to a potential for continued strong demand for the Greek tourism product. The Italian and British markets are an exception, where the relative index is down from last year.

The Consumer Confidence Index also appears improved in Greece, which may benefit destinations that target domestic travelers.

Meanwhile, the contribution of tourism to rising employment remains high: Αccording to the Greek Labor Ministry’s Ergani system data, Greece saw 7,242 jobs added to paid employment in July (263,145 since the beginning of the year). Meanwhile, accommodation saw 8,225 jobs and catering saw 15,728.

“The increase in paid employment in tourism was higher than the (country’s) total, due to job losses in other sectors, especially in education when the school year ended,” the SETE Intelligence report noted.

SETE Intelligence is the research body of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).