According to Skift.com the projections for visitors to the Greek Islands this tourist season are quite impressive. The report published on June 26, said the following:
“After three lean years marked by riots, strikes, social upheaval and political unrest, 17 million or so holidaymakers – 1.5 times the country’s population and an all-time record — are about to visit, according to officials.
The arrivals have never mattered more. Tourism accounts for almost 20% of GDP – and jobs. With recession-hit Greeks also struggling with a record level of unemployment, which has reached nearly 28%, the highest in the eurozone, industry earnings this year may well be the only income for many.”
This is great news for the Greek Islands and the Greek Economy as a whole. Tourism is one of the main engines for Greece and could easily lift the country out of their depression should the numbers continue to to rise. The report went on to say:
“It’s not just westerners who are fueling this tourism boom. Seated in his air-conditioned Athens office, Andreas Andreadis, who heads the association of Greek tourism enterprises, SETE, says much of Greece’s new traffic arises from the lifting of visa restrictions in long-haul emerging markets such as China, Turkey and Russia. Russian arrivals at regional airports alone have shot up by 230% this year.”
Keep up the good work Greece, its only a matter of time before the Greek Islands lift Greece to being the premier tourism destination of the world. Celebrities from around the world have chosen Greek Islands as their vacation spot since the 1960′s and this pace Greece may soon rival destinations like New York City or Disneyland in the coming decade.