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'Greece' attracts well over 16 million tourists a year contributing 15% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation's Economy. The country has been an attraction for international visitors since antiquity for its rich and long history and more recently for its glorious Mediterranean coastline and beaches. 2005 saw 6.088.287 tourists in the capital city of Athens alone.
In 2004, the country welcomed over 16.5 million tourists. At the same time, tourism consumption increased considerably since the turn of the millennium, from US$ 17.7 bn. in 2000 to US$ 29.6 bn. in 2004. The number of jobs directly or indirectly related to the tourism sector were 659,719 and represented 16.5% of the country’s total employment for that year.
In 2006 the Greek Ministry of Tourism invested more than 38 million euro in promoting the tourism industry,^[1] up from the 30 million spent in 2002 by the previous government. In addition, the government intends to promote winter tourism in Greece, which could potentially increase international arrivals even further.
Tourism in Greece is run by the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) who use Helena Paparizou, a famous Greek singer who won Eurovision song contest in 2005 as an ambassador. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) expects Greece to gain US$54.12 billion in economic activity through tourism in 2007, a 4% increase over 2006.

Contents

General

Cities

Tourism Infrastructure

Hotels

Marinas

Spas and Thermal Springs

Conference Facilities

Gallery

See also

References

External links

General

According to a survey conducted in China in 2005, Greece was voted as the Chinese people's number one choice as a tourist destination.^[2] Furthermore, Greece has been actively trying to secure a large share of Chinese tourists per year, highlighted by the large presence of Greek tourist informatives at the 2006 Beijing International Tourism Expo. Greece had the largest single country participation with a total exhibition space take-up of more than 1,152 m², more than any other nation.^[3] In November 2006, Austria, like China, announced that Greece was the favourite destination for tourism giving optimistic hopes for the future.^[4]

Cities

★ Athens, Attica - Capital of Greece. Historically significant as the birthplace of democracy among other things.

★ Thira, Santorini - One of the most photographed towns in the world. Famous for its sunset.

★ Hora, Mykonos - Hora is the main town of Mykonos. There is a large gay scene on this island.

★ Rhodes, Rhodes - Rhodes is famous for its legendary Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

★ Heraklion, Crete - Crete is one of the most visited islands in the world. Heraklion is its capital.

Tourism Infrastructure

Although Greece has always been a popular tourist destination, It has been criticised many times for lagging behind other Western European nations interms of tourism infrastructures and amenities. This has been greatly improved however since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Hotels

According to the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, the number of hotels in Greece was, by classification (beds):

★ AA 155 (56,888),

★ A 944 (173,431),

★ B 1,712 (233,315),

★ C 4,496 (233,315) and

★ other 1,729 (59,065).

Marinas

Greece has 51 marinas and 14,661 mooring places that provide such services as berths, fuel, water and electricity, telephony, and repairs.
Some of the most developed and busiest marinas in Greece are just a few kilometres from the centre of Athens. The marinas of Alimos and Flisvos, on the south coast of Athens, have an aggregated capacity of more than 1,800 vessels.

Spas and Thermal Springs

Greece has 752 thermo-metallic springs. Many have been classified as therapeutic by the National Institute for Geographical and Mineral Research.

Conference Facilities

Conference tourism, targeted at academic, business, or cultural markets is a cornerstone of the Greek national tourism policy. As a result, the Greek Government, with strong support from local authorities, has been offering lucrative cash grants, leasing and employment subsidies and tax allowances to establish new conference facilities and expand existing ones. In a recent report in Meeting and Incentive Travel, Greece was ranked eighth in the world in overnight stays for conferences. Figures from Tourism Satellite Accounting Research, conducted by WTTC (World Travel & Tourism Council), project a worldwide increase in revenues in business travel to Greece from US $1.51 bn. in 2001 to US $2.69 bn. in 2011. In 1998, the figure stood at US $1.18 bn.

Gallery

See also

★ Economy of Greece

★ Greece

★ Tourism in Cyprus

References

1. http://www.travelling.gr/hellenic-travelling/arc8-2002.html
2. http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=5623408&postcount=1
3. http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000320/4027134.search?query=greece
4. http://www.voiceofgreece.gr/OmogeneiaMainNews_en.asp?ID=22066

External links

★ Official Greek Tourist Organisation site

★ The official website of the Panhellenic Tourist Guide Federation for Greece