Greece: Tourist Arrivals Up 15.5% In 2013

Photo: GTP

Arrivals of foreigners to Greece last year recorded a 15.5 percent increase, according to recently released figures compiled by the border survey of the Bank of Greece.

According to the data, arrivals from non-European Union member states, which account for the largest share of arrivals (88.1 percent), increased by 13.9 percent year-on year, compared with the year before. Arrivals from EU member states were up by 7.5 percent.

In absolute terms, a significant increase in arrivals was recorded from Russia, France, Germany, Serbia, Poland, Italy and the Netherlands. On the other hand, arrivals from the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway and Cyprus showed a decrease.

In regards to the allocation of arrivals by country of origin (non-residents), the majority came from Germany (12.7 percent), followed by the United Kingdom (10.3 percent, down 3.9 percent from the year before), Russia (7.5 percent), France (6.4 percent) and Italy (5.4 percent).

The Bank of Greece’s data also showed that the country saw an increase of arrivals from Turkey, the United States and Canada.