By L. Karageorgos
Australian tourists in Greece, on average, spend the most per visit, while Turkish tourists top the list in terms of expenditure per overnight stay, according figures in a study released by INSETE, the research arm of four tourism-related trade groups in the country.
The study, covering the 2005-2017 period, ranks Australian, American, Canadian, Swiss and Russian tourists at the top of the list for expenditure per visit.
Specifically for 2017, an Australian tourist spent, on average, 1,218 euros per visit to the country, up by 10.8 percent from 2005’s figures. In terms of average length of stay, an Australian tourist in Greece stays 12.8 days – again topping the list – down from 14.3 days in 2005. Overall, more than 324,000 Australian citizens arrived in Greece in 2017, up from 121,000 in 2005.
Turkish tourists, on their part, boasted the biggest expenditure per overnight stay, at 99 euros, for 2017. Nevertheless, the figure, compared to 2005, was down by 12.4 percent. In pre-crisis 2005, the average expenditure per overnight stay for a Turkish tourist was 113 euros. Turkish tourists remain, on average, 3.3 days in Greece. In absolute terms, arrivals from Turkey exceeded 972,000 in 2017, up by a spectacular 683.7 percent compared to 2005. Arrivals from Turkey comprised 3.6 percent of the total in 2017, up from 0.9 percent in 2005. Additionally, travel revenue corresponding to Turkish holiday-makers in Greece reached 321 million euros in 2017, up from 65 million euros in 2005.
Last year also witnessed a record in terms of arrivals by US tourists, with the figure exceeding 865,000, and comprising 3.2 percent of the total. In 2005, arrivals from the US exceeded 557,000, comprising 3.9 percent of the total arrivals.
According to UN-WTO data for 2016, Greece comprises the 25th most popular tourism destination in the world for American holiday makers taking foreign trips; third for Mediterranean destinations.
INSETE is a non-profit organization founded in early 2013 on the initiative of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), by four partners with a prominent position in the Greek tourism industry: SETE (the principal partner), the Hellenic Hoteliers Federation (HHF), the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies (HATTA) and the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Rented Rooms and Apartments (SETKE).
