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Greece's latest tourism industry news by Greek Travel Pages

GNTO Report Sent To Athens Prosecutor

“The case should be sent to Parliament if the prosecutor’s probe ends up apportioning blame to politicians,” Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Yiorgos Nikitiadis said in late July in regards to an investigative report on the Greek National Tourism Organization’s tourism...

Germans Snub Greece For Their Holidays

The Germans are traveling with more enthusiasm than ever with the largest number of bookings made mainly to Turkey and Egypt, while Greece and Portugal have seen a drop in popularity, according to a survey by Gfk Travel Insights research firm.

Greece and Israel Explore Closer Ties

Greek Prime Minister Yiorgos Papandreou and his visiting Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu agreed last month to form a joint committee to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Greek Tourism Targeted By Foreign Media

Strikes and protests against government austerity measures, port and archaeological site blockades, air traffic controller’s mobilizations and the recent fuel shortage caused by a trucker strike made Greece the target of critical international news stories amid the tourist season.

Cabotage Abolition Draft Law Tabled In Parliament

The draft law for the lifting of cabotage restri­ctions, drawn up by the Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping Ministry, was tabled in Parliament on 20 July and was pending since then due to the August sum­mer break.

Government Plans To Cleanup Athens Center

An action plan to combat the situation in the center of Athens that includes illegal immi­grants, drug dealing and abuse, prostitution and the sale of counterfeit merchandise, is currently in the works, according to Deputy Citizens Protection Minister Spyros Vougias.

Overnights And Revenue Down At Athens-Attica Hotels

Athens suffered the biggest losses during the first seven months of the year in regards to the number of tourists visiting Greece, the latest figures released by the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) showed.

Hotel Staff Sole Beneficiaries Of OAED Programs

Travel agencies today are in a dire position and the Greek state has taken no measures to support them, the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA) said recently in regards to the Manpower Employment Organization’s (OAED) subsidize programs for hotel employees.

Hotel Chamber Objects To New Development Law

The draft bill on the new development law steers away from present tourism policy and from the established positions of the tourism industry, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels said last month.

July Strikes Put Greek Tourism In Limbo

While Greece was already suffering a decline in visitor numbers, the tourism sector was tested in July with disruptions to flights and an ongoing strike by fuel-truck drivers that led to gasoline shortages across the country.

Professional Yacht Sector Watches Bookings Sink

The professional yacht sector is experiencing perhaps its worst year as bookings for professional yachts with crew have dropped more than 80 percent this year compared to 2009, Antonis Steliatos, president of the Hellenic Professional Yacht Owners Association, said.

SETE In War Of Words

“The General Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants of Greece has nothing to do with tourism, it does not represent tourism businesses and is obviously uninformed in regards to the situation and trends in the tourism market,” the Association of Greek Tourism...

GNTO Cuts Costs To Control Budget Deficit

The Greek National Tourism Organization’s expenditures in the first half of the year were cut by 55 percent to some 51 million euros compared with the same period last year, the organization said last month.

Domestic Tourism Promoted By Private Sector

A private initiative aimed to attract domestic tourism back to Greece that will impose absolutely no cost to the Greek government or taxpayer was launched in late July by the Alliance for Greece group.

Summer Passenger Traffic Produces Slight Increase

Passenger traffic during July and August at the three major ports of Athens (Piraeus, Lavrion and Rafina) did not reach desired expectations despite tempting ticket discounts made by shipping companies to attract passengers, the Greek press said recently.

Rodos And Kos See Major Non-Resident Arrival Increase

Although non-resident arrivals showed a 1.3 percent decrease from last year levels in the first seven months of 2010, Greek islands Kos and Rodos enjoyed more visitors despite the economic downturn, according to figures released by the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE).

Greeks Stay Home This Summer

Six in 10 Greeks said they would not take a vacation this summer due to the financial crisis, a recent nationwide survey conducted recently by the General Consumer Federation of Greece (INKA) said.

Greek Tourism Revenue Drops, Arrivals Improve

Greece’s tourism revenue dropped 11.9 percent during the first six months of the year and 15.7 percent in June, according to data from the Bank of Greece.

A note by the publisher

Τέλος Αυγούστου και ήρθε πάλι η ώρα για απολογισμούς, μετρήσεις και αριθμούς. Οι τουρίστες σιγά σιγά αναχωρούν και οι Έλληνες επιστρέφουν στις δουλειές τους μετά από ένα ομολογουμένως πολύ ζεστό καλοκαίρι. Οι επαγγελματίες του τουρισμού κάνουν ταμείο, οι διάφο...

Memorial

The Greek tourism industry said goodbye last month to two of its prominent members. Anastasios Stylianopoulos and Panagiotis Zerzivilis were two leading figures that both had a vision and a passion for the sector they served.
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