GREECE: Drop In Average Tourism Spending

Had tourists’ average per capita expenditure in Greece in July and August been on a par with that at rival destinations, the country’s tourism revenues would not have posted a decline, according to a survey presented on Thursday by the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).

The gap created from the 8.8 percent annual drop in average spending per tourist amounted to 500-550 million euros, while in rival countries (Spain, Turkey, Cyprus, Italy, Croatia and Portugal) the average decline amounted to just 1.7 percent.

SETE attributes that drop to the last-minute discounts offered by hoteliers, mainly in August.