Nearly 2.3 million tourists in 2014

Provisional data from the Bank of Greece indicates an additional 1.2 million visitors arrived by road and cruise ship in the peak months of July and August alone.

While cruise ship arrivals were initially expected to remain stable compared with 2013, the figure rose by 100,000 in the first six months of the year, while the total for 2014 is forecast to reach about 2.5 million, up from 2.2 million last year.  

Public and private sector efforts to promote Greece as a travel destination beyond the traditionally popular summer months appear to be bearing fruit, with October international air arrivals rising 23.5%, says the Greek Tourism Confederation SETE.

SETE, the majority share-holder of the not-for-profit private sector tourism organization Marketing Greece, says this indicates a clear extension of the tourism season, particularly in the shoulder months of April and October, which saw a rise in arrivals of 36.4% and 23.5% respectively, compared to 2013.

These increases are higher than those seen in the period June through September. The organization also points to significant growth in visitor flow toward Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as numerous smaller or lesser known destinations, which saw high double-digit visitor growth while established destinations experienced single-digit increases. 

This unprecedented rise in tourism during the year has unfortunately led to a rise in tax evasion in the industry. Tax evasion from the tourism industry will cost Greece 1.5 billion euros in lost revenue in 2014, according to the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (CHC), Giorgos Tsakiris.