Greece ranks 10th in the OECD’s report “Tourism Trends and Policies 2018” as a global holiday destination. The report was unveiled on Wednesday.
In 2016, Greece attracted 2807 million tourists in 2016, 13.4 percent over the 2012-2016 period. Overnight stays in the country reached 193.4 million, up 2.9 percent over 2015.
In its foreword on Greece, the OECD reports notes:
“Tourism is a central pillar of the Greek economy. In 2016, direct tourism GVA was estimated to be EUR 9.6 billion, which represented 6.4% of national GVA. In the same year, tourism directly supported nearly 366 000 jobs, accounting for approximately one in ten jobs in Greece.
“…In 2016, Greece received a record number of international tourist arrivals for the fourth consecutive year, totalling 28 million visitors, an increase of 7.5% on 2015. Overnight stays in Greece totalled 193.4 million, up by 2.9% from 188 million in 2015. Visits from EU countries accounted for 61.3% of all arrivals and saw an overall growth of 15% in 2016. In the same year, as far as the cruise sector is concerned, 4 093 cruise ship arrivals (4 375 in 2015) were recorded, while the number of cruise passenger visits was stable at 5.1 million.
“…Domestic tourism in Greece was estimated to account for 5.8 million trips and 57 million overnight stays in 2015 (down 10.2% from 2014). The vast majority of these trips (over 90%) were for leisure purposes, however, nearly two-thirds (64%) of total trips and over three-quarters (78.4%) of total nights were spent in non-commercial accommodation.”
The entire report chapter covering Greece can be found at the OECD site here:
http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/8518011ec019.pdf?expires=1521117759&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=04CF6CFF9BA78AD77473AF5CD58DA9FD
