Skip to main content
Foreign Policy Magazine Foreign Policy Magazine
  • Sign In
  • Give a Gift Give a Gift
  • Subscribe Subscribe Upgrade Upgrade
  • Latest
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Podcasts
  • The Magazine
  • Channels
    • Economics
    • Security
    • Shadow Government
    • Her Power
    ❌  Close
  • Newsletters
  • Events
  • FP Analytics

Your FP Insider Access:

  • Power Maps
  • Special Reports
  • Graphics Database
Search Icon

latest

‘Afghan Women’ Aren’t Who You Think They Are

Western powers and donors created a category that consigned the women of Afghanistan to perpetual victimhood—while all parties instrumentalized them for political ends.

Argument |
Lima Halima Ahmad

What Does China Want?

Beijing’s ambitions are about to crash into its problems.

Excerpt |
Hal Brands, Michael Beckley

One Year Later, Afghanistan Is a Land of Shrugs and Sadness

The return of the Taliban may have ended the fighting. The suffering goes on.

Report |
Stefanie Glinski

The World Is Seeing How the Dollar Really Works

By raising interest rates, the Federal Reserve strengthened the U.S. currency—and revealed its centrality to global order.

Argument |
Adam Tooze
See All Stories
  • FP Events
  • FP Studios
  • FP Analytics
  • FP PeaceGames
  • Subscription Services
  • Group Subscriptions
  • Reprint Permissions
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • FP Guides – Graduate Education
  • FP For Education
  • FP Archive
  • Buy Back Issues
  • Work At FP
  • Meet the Staff
  • Advertising/Partnerships
  • Sign In
  • Give a Gift Give a Gift
  • Subscribe Subscribe Upgrade Upgrade
Search Icon

: Record-breaking Arrivals Keep Tourism on Top Record-breaking Arrivals Keep Tourism on Top...

SHARE: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Print this page Share via Email

Sponsored Content

Record-breaking Arrivals Keep Tourism on Top

A long-time favorite for holiday makers, Greece’s tourism sector is riding a wave of growth thanks to government policies and private sector zeal

Porto Katsiki beach on the Ionian Sea in Lefkada - Photo: Shutterstock / Netfalls Remy Musser
Porto Katsiki beach on the Ionian Sea in Lefkada - Photo: Shutterstock / Netfalls Remy Musser
Porto Katsiki beach on the Ionian Sea in Lefkada - Photo: Shutterstock / Netfalls Remy Musser

Greece’s tourism sector drives the country’s economy, accounting directly and indirectly for 20% of GDP, and is a model case for Europe, having battled the debt crisis whilst maintaining a strong momentum in the sector.

2016 saw 2 million more arrivals than 2015 and indications point to 2017 following suit, with another 2-million increase, meaning 30 million tourist arrivals. It’s this pattern that led the World Tourism Organization’s Secretary General, Taleb D. Rifai, to commend the Minister of Tourism, saying that Greece’s actions for managing the situation were “a case study.”

Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism, says “2017 has begun phenomenally. As a result of our policy for growth, and our negotiations with the global travel industry, there are around 150 new direct connections from capital cities and regional airports to our traditional markets as well as new ones.”

Improving the perception of stability in the country has supported the rise in visits. The synergy between the government and the private sector has fuelled this. Eftichios Vassilakis, Vice Chairman of Aegean Airlines, Greece’s largest airline, says “the private sector is contributing substantially through new investments in hotels, making products more sophisticated and adding destinations.” Part of the sector’s success, too, is the diversity of the tourism offer and agile marketing of the ‘year-long’ tourism offer. Athens is poised to receive 5 million visitors in 2017, partly thanks to the way the capital has been pushed in this way.

Keenly aware of tourism’s contributions, the Ministry of Tourism has developed a strategic plan to enrich the tourist product. In 2016, for example, it carried out a dynamic and successful promotion showcasing Greece as beautiful, safe and welcoming to tour operators, travel agents and travel bloggers. If Greece continues with its bullish and creative approach to tourism development, its ambitions of becoming a ‘Top 5’ European destination could be closer than expected.

Point of view – Elena Kountoura

Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism
Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism

Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism

FP:What is the plan for tourism?

EK:It’s a top government priority. We’ve implemented a new national tourism policy, based on five strategic pillars: extending the summer season, opening new dynamic markets abroad, creating new Greek destinations, promoting thematic tourism and attracting high added-value investments. It’s already born results. In 2016, tourism grew 7%, double the global average.

FP:What are some practical achievements of your government?

EK:We have abolished a law that prevented 1 to 3-star accommodation facilities from benefitting from EU co-funded schemes for modernization, making it possible for hotels currently out of business to reopen and upgrade. Campsites are being upgraded and new diving parks are being built. Through the EU Interreg initiative, we are supporting partnership projects such as cross-border collaborations, energy- saving in small hotels, accessible tourism, senior tourism and innovative technology applications for the sector.

FP:What markets are particularly important for Greek tourism?

EK:Last year, the Greek diaspora in the US helped us in negotiations and we now have three US airlines flying to Greece in the summer, instead of just one in the past. Another huge success we negotiated was a new direct Emirates flight that connects Athens with Dubai and New York, daily and all year round. We have also begun to reinforce other markets in Europe like Serbia, Poland and Romania. We have maintained our focus on our traditional markets like Germany, England, France, Scandinavia, as well as Russia – a key source of the impressive increase in bookings for Greece in 2017.

Greece - The odyssey to reinvention

  • Introduction
  • The man at the helm: Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
  • A pillar of stability for the wider region
  • Financial oversight
  • Open door to investors as reforms roll ahead
  • Greek banks, restructured and well capitalized
  • Top chairmen’s point of view
  • Reengineering growth: Greece 2021
  • Greece’s biggest asset is its human capital
  • The new Greek digital economy
  • OTE Group: enabling growth through technology and innovation
  • Greece Infrastructure
  • The Midas Touch in real estate
  • A regional energy hub
  • Investing In Taste
  • Record-breaking Arrivals Keep Tourism on Top
  • Government and private sector working in unison
  • Point of view Eftichios Vassilakis
  • The beauty of Greece all year round!

The Full Report

  • Download the full report
Loading graphics
Foreign Policy Magazine
Foreign Policy Magazine
  • FP Events
  • FP Studios
  • FP Analytics
  • FP PeaceGames
  • Subscription Services
  • Group Subscriptions
  • Reprint Permissions
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • FP Guides – Graduate Education
  • FP For Education
  • FP Archive
  • Buy Back Issues
  • Work At FP
  • Meet the Staff
  • Advertising/Partnerships
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Powered by WordPress VIP
© 2022, The Slate Group

Welcome to a world of insight.

Explore the benefits of your FP subscription.

Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. Sign up below.

Choose a few newsletters that interest you.

Here are some we think you might like.

  • Morning Brief thumbnail

    Your guide to the most important world stories of the day. Delivered Monday-Friday.

  • Africa Brief thumbnail

    Essential analysis of the stories shaping geopolitics on the continent. Delivered Wednesday.

  • Latin America Brief thumbnail

    One-stop digest of politics, economics, and culture. Delivered Friday.

  • China Brief thumbnail

    The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week. Delivered Wednesday.

  • South Asia Brief thumbnail

    Weekly update on developments in India and its neighbors. Delivered Thursday.

  • Situation Report thumbnail

    Weekly update on what’s driving U.S. national security policy. Delivered Thursday.

  • A curated selection of our very best long reads. Delivered Wednesday & Sunday.

  • Evening roundup with our editors’ favorite stories of the day. Delivered Monday-Saturday.

  • A monthly digest of the top articles read by FP subscribers.

Analyze the world’s biggest events.

Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts.

FP Live: Samantha Power

Aug 15, 2022 | 02:30 PM ET

Register now

In her role as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Samantha Power is often thrust into the forefront of some of the world’s biggest crises. From working to ensu...Show morere that Russia honors a U.N.-brokered deal to ship grain from Ukraine to helping to figure out how to get aid to cash-strapped Sri Lanka, Power plays an important role in everyday U.S. foreign policy.  How can the world solve the ongoing food crisis? How can Ukraine win the war? How can democracy be strengthened amid an autocratic surge?  Join FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal for a wide-ranging interview with Power. As always, FP subscribers will have an opportunity to ask questions live.  This FP Live interview has been postponed and will be rescheduled for the fall. 

FP Live: The Future of Afghanistan

Aug 11, 2022 | View now

Last summer, the United States decided to end its longest war. But just days after the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan, Kabul fell—and the Taliban took control of the country. Aug....Show more 15 will mark one year since the group has been in power.  How are Afghans coping with their new rulers? What are the internal policy spats within the Taliban? Has the international community done enough to assist Afghans? What does the future hold for the country?  For answers, watch FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal's  in-depth discussion with Lynne O’Donnell, a columnist for FP detained by the Taliban in late July, and Michael Kugelman, the writer of FP’s weekly South Asia Brief.

FP Live: Reporters’ Notebooks

Aug 09, 2022 | View now

Want the inside scoop on Russian arms sales to Africa? Care to learn more about how Ukraine is arming itself and how Beijing views Washington’s support for Taiwan? FP subscribers are alrea...Show moredy familiar with the work of Amy Mackinnon, Jack Detsch, and Robbie Gramer. Join them in conversation with FP’s Ravi Agrawal on August 9 at noon EDT to get a behind-the-scenes look at the biggest stories in global affairs.

See what’s trending.

Most popular articles on FP right now.

Chinese President Xi Jinping in front of a Chinese flag at a ceremony in Hong Kong.
Chinese President Xi Jinping in front of a Chinese flag at a ceremony in Hong Kong.

What Does China Want?

Beijing’s ambitions are about to crash into its problems.

A Taiwanese military outpost is seen beyond anti-landing spikes along the coast in Kinmen, Taiwan, on Aug. 10.
A Taiwanese military outpost is seen beyond anti-landing spikes along the coast in Kinmen, Taiwan, on Aug. 10.

Why Doesn’t China Invade Taiwan?

Despite Beijing’s rhetoric, a full-scale invasion remains a risky endeavor—and officials think the island can be coerced into reunification.

Afghan women wait in front of a bank office in Kabul.
Afghan women wait in front of a bank office in Kabul.

‘Afghan Women’ Aren’t Who You Think They Are

Western powers and donors created a category that consigned the women of Afghanistan to perpetual victimhood—while all parties instrumentalized them for political ends.

A woman walks past the Taliban.
A woman walks past the Taliban.

One Year Later, Afghanistan Is a Land of Shrugs and Sadness

The return of the Taliban may have ended the fighting. The suffering goes on.

My Account