It looks as if the expected batch of mergers in the online travel sector has begun with the purchase of Expedia by USA Networks Inc. The Internet and TV cable company says it plans to become the world's online travel powerhouse by taking control of the world's second largest...
With the recent agreement between the Chandris hotel group and the French hotel group Accor, whereby Accor takes over the management of the Chandris group, the Greek capital's major hotels are for the most part managed by multi-national hotel units. This is in stark difference to...
Private sector tourism professionals say we are in for a bad year, but the government's tourism organization insists that we'll see another increase in arrivals this year. The end result will most likely be somewhere in between.
Because government employees can not do their job properly and because government is unable or unwilling to give the proper incentive or education to rectify the matter, Greece loses billions of drachmas in precious tourism foreign exchange, says Yiannis Evangelou, president of...
A strong seasonal character, uneven geographical distribution, low per-capita spending of tourists and the absence of international hotel chains appear to be the disadvantages of the Greek tourism industry, according to an annual report.
The most recent study carried out by the Research Institute for Tourism urges government to take advantage of the many opportunities open in the tourism sector to create new jobs. "Greece has a dynamic workforce, a large proportion of which do not need specialized skills but can...
On the average, hotels in Greece's northern capital, Thessaloniki, during the first eight months of this year posted a occupancy rate of 52%. Hoteliers say they are hardly satisfied with the result, but they say at least they have managed to increase the number of foreign...
Arrivals to Greece during the first half of this year proved to be on a scale expected by local analysts. Arrivals to the Dodecanese resort island of Rodos, from Athens, rose by 32% to 277,308 in the first six months of the year, compared with 1999, the Civil Aviation Authority...
Ever larger numbers of Greek hoteliers have invested heavily in conference facilities over the past years. So far, the investment has paid off. Expenses have been covered royally as income from conference organization is substantial.
This year, a substantial number of Greek holidaymakers headed for the mountains during the peak July-August vacation period instead of heading for the beaches. "An increase in mountain tourism has been seen in the past few years, even during the summer months," says Thimios...
The brochure for travel may fade from travel offices within the next decade, according to the latest trends in travel sales. Major tour operators are planning Internet websites, with videos of destinations, to eventually replace the now standard printed brochures, which have...
Strong penetration of Greek tourism into the Japanese market continues unabated. The most recent achievement was the release of a second four-page supplement that focused on the latest developments in the Greek tourism sector.
Greek car rental agencies continue to expand at a rapid rate, according to a recent report from the Athens-based Research Institute, ICAP. In its third report on the car rental industry, the institute says that Greece hosts around 2,500 such companies. It says their major...
