The first quarter of 2016 witnessed a drop in the number of tourist arrivals in the country, a negative development given that the leftist Greek government is banking heavily on the ongoing season posting record numbers, both in terms of arrivals and revenue.
Specifically, tourist arrivals fell by 6.2 percent, totaling slightly more than 1.62 million until the end of March, the Greek statistical service announced.
According to figures collected by the Bank of Greece, tourist arrivals from Europe – Greece’s traditional market – fell by 4.9 percent.
Despite the annual leitmotif of “opening up new markets” for Greece’s tourism sector, Europe still accounts for nearly 83 percent of all tourists choosing the country.
