Greece could be one of the first countries in Europe to welcome tourists back, once theCovid-19pandemic has been combatted, according toWorld Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)President & CEOGloria Guevara.<\/p>\n
In its new 2020 Economic Impact Report (EIR) report, the WTTC shows that Greece continued to be one of the strongest European countries in terms of Travel & Tourism growth last year, and that the sector will be key to the countrys economic recovery.<\/p>\n
In an announcement, Guevara underlined how fundamental the Travel & Tourism sector was last year to the Greek economy and said the countrys government must also be applauded for its incredibly swift response to COVID-19, which saw restrictions in place even before the virus reached the country.<\/p>\n
Since then, the government has worked closely with the public and private sector, ensuring protocols and standards are in place that will not only see the country through to a fast recovery, it could be one of the first countries in Europe to welcome tourists back to its shores, she said.<\/p>\n
WTTCs 2020 Economic Impact Report (EIR) underlines that the Travel & Tourism sector last year support almost 850,000 jobs in Greece, equating to more than one in five of all those in employment.<\/p>\n
Strong growth in the country followed the Governments successful policy which focused on extending the season beyond summer, which led to a rise in visitor numbers outside of the traditional summer season, she said.<\/p>\n
WTTCs EIR reveals that, between 2016 and 2018, Germany accounted for 14% of all visitors to Greece, with the UK reaching 11%. Visitors from Bulgaria accounted for 10% of all travellers, with Italy and North Macedonia level pegging at 5%.<\/p>\n
The report shows that tourism also generated 39.1BN to GDP, or 20.8% to the Greek economy, growing by an incredible 12.1% from the previous year, outpacing the growth of the overall economy for the third consecutive year.<\/p>\n
The comprehensive report shows this growth significantly outpaced the overall GDP growth in 2019 of 2.2% in the same year.<\/p>\n
Analysis in the WTTC EIR report also showed international visitor spend totalled a staggering 21.3 billion, representing almost one third (30.1%) of the countrys total exports.<\/p>\n
The report also demonstrates the nations need for a swift recovery due to its strong reliance on leisure spending, accounting for 94% of all spend, compared to 6% for business spend. Furthermore, international spend accounted for 68% compared to 32% domestic.<\/p>\n
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Greece could be one of the first countries that welcomes tourists after coronavirus shutdown - Greek City Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greece could be one of the first countries in Europe to welcome tourists back, once theCovid-19pandemic has been combatted, according toWorld Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)President & CEOGloria Guevara. Continue reading