Almost 800 thousand Russian tourists have already visited Greece

Following the results of the first 9 months of 2018, 782 thousand citizens of the Russian Federation visited Greece. According to the statistics of the Greek airports, the most growth of the Russian traffic was in the airport of Athens. As the representative office of the Hellenic National Tourist Organization (GNTO) in Russia reported, in January-September this year 782 thousand arrivals from Russia were recorded in the country's air ports, which practically corresponds to last year's figures (+ 0.3%). At the same time, almost 120 thousand citizens of the Russian Federation visited Greece through Athens airport, which is 47% more than in the same period of 2017. Russian traffic to regional airports exceeded 662 thousand arrivals, which is only 5% less than last year. These statistics confirm the conclusions of tour operators that Greece, despite the difficult season, showed volumes close to last year. With this assessment agrees Polycarp Efstatiu, the director of GNTO office in Russia. Despite many factors affecting the activity of the tourist flow, the season for Greece on the Russian market was successful. “We estimate the season as successful, because we could maintain the flow of Russian tourists at the level of last year. We also noted that tourists with a high income level are increasingly coming to Greece,” says Mr. Efstatiu. Also the director of GNTO office also draws attention to the fact of the growth in Russian tourist traffic through the Athens airport. “This means that more tourists come to the capital and go from there to Athenian Riviera, Evia, Cyclades and Peloponnese, in other words - not just to the major popular islands, where charters are available. For us it is very important. The tourism policy of the Ministry of Tourism of Greece focuses on activities and communication in such a way as to designate Greece as a holiday destination 365 days a year. Based on this strategy, we will work next year,” said Polycarp Efstatiu.