adding that, given the economic crisis the country
is facing and the overall geopolitical situation in
the region, with the aggravation of the refugee
issue, any external observer would expect
Greece to fare much worse as a destination.
The first positive signs for 2017
The TUI group is substantially expanding its
investment in Greece. It should be noted that the
TUI group is a shareholder in Fraport, the com-
pany that is taking over the operation of Greece’s
major regional airports. More specifically, the
group has increased by 40% the number of its
available beds in hotels of these three regions for
the summer of 2017. It will also offer more airline
seats, through new Easyjet flights out of Berlin.
This comes on top of October’s increase of book-
ings from Germany to Iraklion (+91%) and
Trade with Greece
114
Rhodes (+65%). Overall, the TUI Group is dou-
bling its available hotel rooms to 150,000 in 2017,
also offering 300,000 holiday homes.
Meanwhile, many airlines have announced new
international routes, as well as increases in the
frequency of flights to existing destinations. In this
context, Egyptair, Egypt’s flag carrier announced
that it increases its scheduled flights to Greece,
adding flights between Cairo and Thessalonica,
as well as popular islands, such as Santorini and
Mykonos. Aegean Airlines and the Edinburgh
Airport announced a new route from Edinburgh to
Athens for summer 2017. Passengers will be pro-
vided with a direct link to the Greek capital, as
well as onward connectivity throughout the Greek
islands and mainland Greece. Delta Airlines is
bringing Greece closer to the United States by
offering more than 60 destinations throughout
