Southeast Aegean Islands see massive boost in tourist numbers

The Southeast Aegean Islands has seen a 17% increase in tourist arrivals during the first seven days of August 2022 compared to the corresponding period of 2019, Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Thursday in an interview with Skai TV.

The minister underlined that a few months ago no one could have imagined that with all these difficulties (war in Ukraine, inflation, energy crisis, Greek-Turkish problems, pandemic) Greece would succeed in tourism, not only to approach, but also to surpass in some regions the performance of 2019.

This as he said, greatly strengthens the national economy and the income of the average Greek family.

The excellent course of tourism, Kikilias said, is also reflected in short-term rentals (Airbnb), in which an increase of 26.5 pct is recorded in the months of July, August and September compared to the same months of 2019.

“We have done a lot of hard work and a lot of effort has been made not only by me, but also by all the people in the tourism industry, from the private sector, the Greek government,” he stressed.

The Minister of Tourism also spoke about the campaign that will be carried out in collaboration with the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) in Northern and Central European countries with the aim of attracting travelers in autumn and winter.