Tourism Ministry signs data deal with card company Visa

Credit card company Visa has agreed to provide the Greek Tourism Ministry with data on the spending trends of international and domestic tourists under the terms of a new agreement signed on Tuesday in Athens by Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias and Visa Europe CEO Charlotte Hogg.

This agreement aims to support the sustainable recovery of tourism this year and is part of the country’s 10-year national tourism development strategy, the minister said.

Through its Mediterranean Tourism Trends Dashboard, Visa can provide aggregated data-based information to tourism authorities on tourism spending patterns with the aim to improve public- and private-sector services and attract more targeted visitors from abroad.

“As tourism is an important part of the country’s GDP and a leading investment sector, it is important to formulate a policy based on data. In this context, we welcome our cooperation with Visa as it will significantly enhance our capabilities in policy making for the design of tourism products,” Kikilias said. [AMNA]