in Greece this year, 27.5 million tourists, a record number, and that income from tourism will exceed 15 billion. euro as the end of the year, said its President, Andreas Andreadis, in an interview he gave to Bloomberg.
Last year, he had also been a record tourist arrivals, with about 23.6 million tourists to have visited the country. The increase in revenue will come in about half, to 900, 000 Russian tourists are expected to arrive in Greece, noted the President of SETE.
The increase in tourist arrivals will boost the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by one percentage point this year, he added. According to data of the World Travel and Tourism Council, the contribution of tourism to GDP was 18,5%, almost double the european average.
Referring to the Eastern Aegean islands, such as Kos, found in the first line of the refugee crisis, he said that we will see a recovery from last minute bookings.
Finally, the President of SETE noted that the public loses more than 200 million. euros revenues annually from the non-efficient taxation of tourist services provided by non-professionals, such as from the rental of rooms or apartments.
Source
Record tourist arrivals and an increase in the revenue it expects SETE for this year
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