Last-minute international arrivals up 9.1 pct in July

According to the association, airports nationwide recorded a 9.1 percent rise (about 276,000) in arrivals last month, while 1.6 percent more tourists (about 30,000) arrived by car, compared with the same month in 2015.
Breaking down the numbers by destination, Crete, the Ionian Islands and the Cyclades received once more the bulk of international airport arrivals in July, with 12.8 pct, 13.3 pct and 8.7 pct increases respectively, compared with the same period last year. Athens and Thessaloniki also showed a 10 pct and 11.4 pct rises in international arrivals respectively.
On the other side, Kos, Samos and Lesvos - the islands mostly affected by the refugee crisis - recorded drops of 13 pct, 16.3 pct and a whopping 62 pct respectively.
“It is confirmed that the current tourist season remains fluid. The strengthening of the ‘last minute’ trend creates preconditions for achieving the goal set by SETE in the beginning of year for a 6 percent increase in arrivals, but at this stage it seems extremely difficult to achieve the corresponding target for revenue growth,” the association said.
“At the same time, it is necessary to reiterate that the aforementioned increase will not reflect the situation in all destinations, with everything that this implies in terms of state revenue, employment and strengthening local communities.”