G
reek society now recognizes tourism,
not just as a recreational activity, but
mainly as an economic activity with
clear social and environmental dimensions. This
realization has been particularly pronounced over
the past two years, following the contraction of
the overall economic activity and the rise of
unemployment. Tourism is one of the few axes of
the economy that managed to sustain their posi-
tion through the continuous financial crisis in our
country. The year 2011 was a record one, in terms
of both international arrivals (16.5 million tourists)
and international receipts (€10.5 billion), con-
tributing 16.5% to Greece’s GDP. We all knew
that 2012 would be very difficult, but despite the
harsh beginning, the bookings that were lost dur-
ing the 2 election periods, the extremely negative
publicity that our country got from the majority of
the international media and the endless discus-
sion about “Grexit”, Greek tourism remained
Trade with Greece
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Whenever anyone refers to Greece, one of
the first things that come to mind is
tourism. For the international public,
Greece is, and has always been, famous
for its rich tourism resources. For us
Greeks, our country’s self-evident and
perpetual endowment has now taken on
another dimension.
Our vision for 2020
sees Tourism playing a
central role in the effort
to promote Greece’s
economic and social
development
By Dr. Andreas A. Andreadis,
SETE President
