STATHIS KOUSOUNIS

This year tourists from Turkey are expected to exceed 1 million, according to Greece’s tourism authorities.

On average, each visitor to Greece in June spent 45 percent less than their counterparts in Spain in the same month and 20 percent less than those in Cyprus, according to comparisons of official data from the three Mediterranean countries that compete for visitors in the tourism market.

Guest Inn, which organizes bookings and provides promotion for Greece’s biggest network of traditional and agritourism accommodation units, has moved its seat to Paris.

Luxury travelers who have left their holiday bookings until the last minute this month may find the prices steep even by their standards.

The Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) is calling for the formation of a special, investment-friendly zoning plan for tourism.

Foreign tourists’ average spending per trip in the first five months of the year posted a decline of 1.5 percent from last year to reach 430.4 euros.

Santorini as well as hotels on the Cycladic island have been included among the top choices of the Travel + Leisure magazine for holidays in Europe in 2017, in a vote by the international publication’s readers.

Three-star hotels in Greece offer tourists notable opportunities for securing relatively good prices – given the period – even at the most popular destinations, according to several online booking sites monitored by Kathimerini. In contrast, online rates for four- and five-star hotels with available beds are typically beyond what most Greeks can afford.