Pursuits
After Refugees, Greece Now Awaits the Tourists Turkey Is Losing
- Industry group chief says visitors to hit 25 million in 2016
- Russians heading to Greece account for half extra income
Shoppers walk down a high street in Mytilene, Greece.
Photographer: Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
When it comes to luring foreign visitors to sun, sea and a bit of history, Greece might be about to gain from Turkey’s losses.
The Greek Tourism Confederation expects the number of visitors to rise to a record 25 million this year and bring 800 million euros ($897 million) of extra income, Andreas Andreadis, president of the industry lobby group, said in an interview in Athens on Tuesday. Separately on the same day, Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry reported a 10 percent drop in year-on-year arrivals last month, the most in a decade.