Arrivals from Eastern Europe post major rise
Tourist arrivals from emerging markets such as Russia, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria will exceed 1 million this year, Tourism Development Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos said yesterday. The benefits from the increase in visitors coming from these countries are enjoyed mostly by destinations in the country’s north, helping Greece maintain roughly the same number of tourists as last year, when it posted an all-time record. The year-on-year rise in arrivals from Russia has reached 40 percent so far. Spiliotopoulos also said yesterday that the increase in the number of foreign cruise ships arriving in Greece will exceed 10 percent by the year’s end, while the same rise is expected to be recorded in the sea tourism sector.
