Despite devastating fires and more frequent extreme high temperatures, Greek tourism is booming, with arrivals constantly increasing.

In her interview in today’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni states that “it seems that we will exceed last year’s numbers”, while it is possible to break the record set by Greek tourism in 2019. As FAZ comments “despite forest fires and heat waves, price increases and the war in Ukraine, Greek tourism proves to be resilient in all conditions and flourishes like never before.” Of the 10 million visitors welcomed by Greece in the first half of the year, “1.5 million were German holidaymakers, i.e. more than those who came from Great Britain, France and the USA. In a recent report by the Bank of Greece, there is a 14% increase in revenue compared to 2019 and 24% compared to last year, and it is predicted that the 2019 revenue record will be broken.”

As the Frankfurt newspaper explains, “the increases are also due to inflation, which compensates for the fact that some holidaymakers do not stay in the country for many days. However, the influx of tourists remains strong, with arrivals at Athens airport surpassing 2019’s record by 8% in the first seven months of this year.”

As the Minister of Tourism confirms to the German media, tourists are even returning to Rhodes: “Only 10-15% of the island has been affected by forest fires. 90% of hotels continued to operate normally and it is possible that the numbers of 2022 will be exceeded in Rhodes as well.”

FAZ observes that “2023 brings an absurd double record for Greece, both in fires and in tourist arrivals. The government strategy now includes attracting holidaymakers outside the peak summer season, aiming for ‘sustainability’.