Greece expects increased international air arrivals in September

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-31 01:38:43|Editor: yan
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by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Greece expects increased international air arrivals this September, and a total of 28.5 million visitors in 2017, according to the latest estimates by the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), local media reported on Wednesday.

As Chinese flagship airline Air China is launching direct flights between Beijing and Athens this September in cooperation with the Athens International Airport (AIA) in a landmark step which is expected to boost the inflow of Chinese tourists, the overall numbers are looking good for the Greek tourism industry.

The tourism season is extended to autumn and this September scheduled airline seats for foreign arrivals at Greece's regional airports are expected to rise by 310,000 seats (13 percent) compared to September 2016, "Kathimerini" (Daily) newspaper reported, citing a survey by SETE Intelligence, the confederation's research body.

The trend during the summer was also positive. In July, international arrivals at the country's major airports increased by 5.7 percent, and by 8.8 percent from the start of 2017.

Greece will welcome at least 28.5 million tourists this year, generating about 14.5 billion euros (17.2 billion U.S. dollars), setting a new record, according to SETE estimates.

Tourism, a traditional pillar of Greek economy, which withstood the debt crisis in the past seven years, is performing well and according to a recent survey by local Alpha Bank,it will play a decisive role in the country's efforts to move forward.

According to the Alpha Bank analysis which also cites World Travel and Tourism Council projections, the Greek tourism sector accounted for 18.6 percent of Greek GDP last year.

Tourism's contribution to Greece's GDP is expected to grow to 19.6 percent this year and more than 20 percent in 2018, according to the experts.(1 euro = 1.19 U.S. dollars)

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