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Greek prime minister tells Greeks to put on a happy face for summer tourists
DestinationsThe Greek prime minister, Antonis Samaras, issued an unusual appeal on Tuesday, asking his compatriots to put on their best face as the debt-choked country prepares to accept 17 million tourists – an all-time record. Although mired in its worst economic crisis in modern times, Greece is braced for a surge in arrivals with visitors [...]
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Ryanair’s bold proposal to revive the Greek tourism industry
TransportRyanair made a bold proposal this week when it claimed increased routes flown by a European low-cost carrier (named Ryanair, of course) could revive Greece’s stagnant tourism industry. In a recent press release, the airline refers to itself as an “ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC)” and lays out its reasoning for how Ryanair could fuel tourism in [...]
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Greece hotels expect 2013 to be a lot better, after bad 2012
DestinationsGreece may draw a record number of more than 17 million tourists this year as fears of a euro exit dissipates and a decrease in strikes helps the country’s image abroad, the head of the Athens-Attica Hotels Association said. “We are facing a more stable future,” Alexandros Vassilikos said at a press conference in Athens [...]
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Greece tourism dropped in 2012; economy shrinks and unemployment grows
DestinationsThe number of international visits to Greece fell 5.5 percent last year, as political turmoil during elections in June and the economic crisis in Europe affected the country’s tourism industry. A total of 15.5 million non-resident visitors arrived in Greece in 2012, according to a statement from the Athens-based Hellenic Statistical Authority. European visitors, 89.3 [...]
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Mayors of idyllic Greek island Mykonos are charged with massive embezzlement
DestinationsComing on the heels of the conviction of a former mayor of Thessaloniki on corruption charges, prosecutors are charging Mykonos Mayor Athanasios Kousathanas – Megas and former mayor Christos Veronis with embezzlement during their terms running the famous island’s government. Prosecutor George Economou proposed to the Board of Appeal to indict the two in a [...]
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Want to buy a Greek island? Have your Russian oligarch dad write you a check
DestinationsThe daughter of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev has bought the Greek resort island where shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis famously married Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s, Rybolovlev’s investment office said. The sale price was not disclosed. Greek media reports on Saturday placed the value of Skorpios island at over $100 million and said Ekaterina Rybolovlev, 24, [...]
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Greece passes new law to boost tourism and investment
DestinationsThe Greek parliament approved legislation late on Thursday to boost private investment, a key condition to get the crisis-struck country out of its worst-ever peacetime recession. The new investment incentive law aims to cut red tape by making a broader range of projects eligible for fast-track licensing and by creating a new one-stop-shop agency for [...]
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The Greeks that are building the next generation of tourism businesses
UncategorizedRecession is regarded as the worst time to start a business, but austerity is actually inspiring some Greeks to launch tourism initiatives – going against accepted business wisdom. Residents of the islands have a reputation for being adept multi-taskers – working as tourism operators, agriculturalists, builders and service sector workers according to the season. Here [...]
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Greece poised for tourism comeback supported by price-conscious Europeans
DestinationsTourism in Greece is bouncing back this year in an otherwise flat European market, held back by the weak economic climate, travel industry executives said. The desire for a beach holiday closer to home for cost-conscious consumers in Europe is helping to revive tourism demand in the country, battling recession and a debt crisis. Doerte [...]
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More in Qatar-is-the-new-China: Emir buys six Greek islands for a song
DestinationsThe suitor is one of the world’s wealthiest men; the location happens to be the eurozone’s poorest country. But in an unlikely coming together of economic circumstances, the emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has opted to splash out €8.5m (£7.35m) on six idyllic isles in the Ionian sea. Closure of the deal [...]
