Traffic at Greek airports reached a record of 72.6 million passengers in 2023, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Tuesday, as the country’s all-important tourism industry recovered from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of domestic and foreign travellers at 39 airports across Greece increased by 14 per cent compared to 2023, and 13.2 per cent compared to 2019. The number of flights was also up 6.8 per cent compared to 2019, CAA said.
Tourism accounts for one in five jobs in Greece and makes up a fifth of its economy.
In 2019, a year before the COVID-19 pandemic brought global travel to a standstill, a record 33 million foreign tourists brought in 18 billion euros (USD 19.53 billion) in revenues.
Last year’s revenue is set to exceed that as already tourism rvenues for January-to-November reached 20 billion euros, Bank of Greece data showed on Monday.
Greece expects its economy to grow faster in 2024, partly on strong projected tourist inflows, and also higher investment and domestic demand.
The positive outlook is reinforced by the UNWTO Tourism Confidence Index survey, where 67 per cent of tourism professionals express confidence in better or much better prospects for 2024 compared to 2023. Key factors in the anticipated recovery include significant room for growth in Asia, boosted by the reopening of source markets and destinations.
