SPAIN: Spain Is Over Booked, Tourists Heading For Greece, Portugal And Italy

Higher prices and over crowding in Spain are expected to boost tourism to cheaper destinations including Greece, according to TUI Group.

According to media reports, TUI Chief Executive Officer Fritz Joussen said that the high demand for Spain in the last two years has led to rising prices and this may in turn benefit other more affordable destinations.

At the same time, holidaymakers have turned away from Eastern Mediterranean and Northern Africa destinations for fear of terror activity there opting instead for Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy.

Joussen estimates that Spain will repeat last year’s records benefitting greatly from its blooming tourism sector but is faced with new challenges which must be addressed effectively.

Greece, in the meantime, may be more affordable compared to Spain but prices there are also increasing combined with a series of new taxes including a highly debated overnight surcharge to be charged by hotels next year which are bound to take a toll on its tourism growth as Turkey tries to lure tourists back with very low prices.

TUI said it aims to boost capacity to Turkey next summer.




Tourism Observer

GREECE: Chinese Tourists Flock Athens

Chinese holidaymakers are choosing Athens as a leading destination for their travels in the coming 12 months, according to a survey released recently by online booking site hotels.com and research firm Ipsos.

According to the findings, Athens comes third (4 percent), after Paris at number 1 with 18 percent and London second with 5 percent in the preferences of Chinese travelers planning their holidays for the next 12 months. A total of 3 percent opted for Vienna, Berlin, Milan and Rome, and 2 percent preferred Munich, Amsterdam, Zurich and Geneva.

The survey compiled a list of destinations across Europe and the Middle East.

Greece is expected to attract over 1.5 million Chinese tourists in the coming years interested in discovering everything from sea and sun to shopping and culture.

For 2017, estimates place the number of Chinese visitors at over 170,000, up by 10-15 percent against 2016. Beijing and Shanghai tour operators are reporting a growing interest compared to 2016 for Santorini, Mykonos, Athens and Chania.

More than 122 million China nationals traveled abroad in 2016 up by 4.3 percent, with average spending per day up from 414 dollars in 2016 to 446 dollars this year, a rise of 8 percent.

The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in Greece in 2016 is expected to have reached some 99,8 million, up by 1.2 percent compared with the previous year, according to early estimates released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, on Tuesday.

The data showed that the share of nights spent in Greece last year by non-EU residents was 79 percent (or 78.4 million). However, compared with 2015, nights spent in Greek tourist accommodation by EU residents showed a higher increase (+4,9 percent) than non-EU residents (+ 0.2 percent).

Number of tourism nights spent in the EU slightly up in 2016 despite substantial falls in France and the United Kingdom

Overall, in 2016, the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the European Union is expected to have reached more than 2.8 billion, up by 2.0 percent compared with 2015.

According to Eurostat, since 2009, there has been a steady increase in the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the EU, notably driven by the rise in the nights spent by non-residents of the member states.

Spain accentuated its lead with 454 million nights (+7.8 percent compared with 2015), ahead of France that saw a substantial fall of -4.6 percent (395 million) and the United Kingdom with a drop of -4.5 percent (292 million).

The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in 2016 grew in nearly all member states, with the largest increases being observed in Bulgaria (+17.9 percent) and Slovakia (+16.0 percent), followed by Poland (+11.8 percent) and Cyprus (+10.9 percent).

In the EU, the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments by non-residents grew faster (+3.6 percent) between 2015 and 2016 than those spent by residents (+0.6 percent).

In absolute figures, Spain (294 million nights, or 22 percent of the total of nights spent by non-residents in the EU), Italy (196 mn, or 15 percent), France (122 mn, or 9 percent) and the United Kingdom (120 mn, or 9 percent) recorded the highest number of nights spent by non-residents in their tourism accommodation establishments.

According to Eurostat, almost every EU Member State recorded an increase in the number of tourism nights spent by non-residents. A notable exception is France, where this number decreased by 8.7 percent (or almost 12 mn nights).

Eurostat’s early estimates, which include nights spent whether for business or leisure, were based on available data of the first 10 months of 2016.

GREECE: Athens Among 10 MICE Destinations 2017, As Luxury Tourism Grows By 10%

Athens, Greece, is included among the top 10 meeting and incentive destinations around the world, according to the 2017 Global Destination Index released recently by Global DMC Partners, the largest global network of independent Destination Management Companies (DMCs).

The data was compiled based on over 700 meeting and incentives that are operating in 2017 in over 500 destinations that Global DMC Partners represents.

Top 10 International Destinations

1 Mexico (Cabo + Riviera Maya)

2 Italy (Rome)

3 United Arab Emirates (Dubai)

4 Bahamas

5 Greece (Athens)

6 Spain (Barcelona + Madrid)

7 France (Paris)

8 Costa Rica

9 Austria (Vienna)

9 Switzerland.

Business meetings, incentive travel, conferences and conventions have a huge impact on the global economy. They help facilitate face-to-face interactions to build stronger and more profitable business relationships, and they contribute greatly to local economies and their sustainability, Global DMC Partners President Catherine Chaulet said.

Many of the 2017 destinations highlighted here have been popular for meetings and incentives for the past few years, however there are a few destinations that we are very excited to see rising in the ranks, such as Colorado, Greece (Athens), Costa Rico, Switzerland, and Cabo and Riviera Maya in Mexico, she added.

The 2017 Global Destination Index also highlights destinations that are rising in popularity based on meetings and incentives that are either booked or close to contracting within a particular destination in 2018.

Luxury tourism in Greece has increased by 10 percent while investment in the sector is also seeing growth, Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura said on Monday during a radio interview.

Speaking on the Athens News Agency’s 104.9 FM, the tourism minister said that a total of 142 applications for the licensing of new and existing four- and five-star hotels of over 300 beds, special tourism infrastructure projects and three luxury tourism resorts had been submitted to the ministry’s one-stop-shop service EFPATE in 2016.

She added that 251 proposals for hotel investments were submitted in Greece’s development bill by March.

Kountoura pointed out that Greece’s shift in attracting tourists from new markets such as China, the Middle East and India was accompanied by the strengthening of traditional markets such as Germany, England, Poland, Russia and America.

Luxury tourism grew by 10 percent, she said, adding that Greece is attracting more tourists that are spending more and choosing four- and five-star hotels.

Moreover, the minister said that thematic tourism and the shift to new markets are tools for extending Greece’s tourism season, which, last year started in April and ran until November, while the months of September, October and November were the best months of all time, with very important occupancy levels.

Minister Kountoura also focused on Northern Greece and Thessaloniki and said that they are now connected with more destinations and constantly attracting tourists.

She referred to the ministry’s actions in regards to attracting more flights through negotiations and agreements with low cost carriers, charter companies and tour operators, that lease and bring their own aircraft from the Balkans, Russia, Germany, the Netherlands and France, markets that in the past produced less demand for Northern Greece.

We made agreements for flights from England to Samos and connected Thessaloniki with direct flights, not only to capital cities, but also to other towns, she said, adding that the new international flights to Greece this year add up to some 2,000. I think these new flights will bring great growth on all levels, she said.


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GREECE: American Tourist Beaten To Death In Bar At Zakynthos Island

An American tourist was beaten to death on Friday after a fight erupted at a bar on Greek island of Zakynthos, and at least eight people have been arrested in connection with his killing, according to local police.

Bakari Henderson, a 22-year-old recent graduate of the University of Arizona, was at a bar on the Greek island of Zakynthos when a fight broke out with another group of people on Friday around 3 a.m. local time, according to police there.

The fight escalated into a brawl and Henderson was battered to death in the street, police said. Further details on the clash were not immediately clear, but police said it involved two groups of people.

Pavlos Kolokotsas, the mayor of Zakynthos, said that both groups involved had been drinking extensively.

The investigation into the incident and Henderson’s death is ongoing.

Police said that a British citizen of Serbian origin, who is temporarily employed in Greece as a bouncer, and a Greek national, who works at the bar in Zakynthos, were arrested Friday and named suspects in the beating death.

Six Serbian tourists were also arrested after being identified on surveillance footage as having taken part in the brawl, police said.

The eight arrested so far are expected to appear in court Saturday.

The University of Arizona issued a statement Friday on the news of Henderson's "untimely death."

"All of us at the University of Arizona are shocked and saddened by the loss of our recent graduate, Bakari Henderson," the university's president, Robert Robbins, said in the statement. "Our hearts and prayers are with his friends and family. I can only imagine the deep sense of loss they must be feeling at his untimely death. It is always a tragedy when a young life ends before it has really yet to begin."

An official within the U.S. State Department said that Zakynthos police had notified the U.S. embassy of the death of an American citizen there early Friday.

We are in communication with authorities and providing consular assistance to the deceased citizen’s family,the official said in a statement Saturday. We offer our sincerest condolences to family and friends, and out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.

Henderson's family said that a memorial service is being planned.

And below, is the Henderson family's statement:

As you can imagine, our family is devastated by the recent loss of our beloved son Bakari Jaward Henderson. He attended Anderson High School through his junior year and graduated from Hyde Park Baptist High School in 2013. Bakari attended The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona on a full academic scholarship and graduated on May 12, 2017 with a BS in Business Finance and Entrepreneurship.

The summer after his freshman year at University of Arizona, he interned with the Texas Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate. Bakari was in Greece working on a photo shoot to launch his new clothing line when the unbelievable tragedy occurred.

Bakari loved spending time with family and friends, traveling, and meeting new people. He was a big thinker and enjoyed coming up with new business ventures. Bakari was an inspiration to all he met. He loved life and lived it to the fullest.

We would like to thank our family, friends and the Austin community for your prayers, love and support.



Tourism Observer
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GREECE: What Brexit Means For Greece Tourism

The British on Thursday voted to leave the European Union. A Brexit would have significant economic, social and political consequences for Greece, both short- and long-term. More worrying, it could open the way for a new round of speculation about a possible Grexit.

Britain leaving the EU would indirectly affect Greece in three main areas:

Economy

A devaluation of the pound would have a negative impact on real estate, tourism and Greek exports, as well as the income of a large number of Greek households with members studying or working in the UK. Consider the following data:

1. Real estate: According to Algean Property, more than 100,000 foreigners, mainly from Europe, the USA and Australia (about 60 percent) currently own property in Greece. The recent weakening of the euro against the US dollar and the British pound saw interest from potential buyers based in those countries rise by 10 percent. Thus, a weakening of the pound would be accompanied by a waning of interest in the Greek real estate market (residential, holiday, and hospitality industry).

2. Tourism: An estimated 2.4 million tourists from the UK visited Greece in 2015. Visitors from Britain represent 10 percent of total incoming tourism in Greece and 14.3 percent of total travel receipts (2 billion euros). The UK is the second biggest market for Greek tourism after Germany.

3. Education and employment: More than 400,000 young Greeks have left the country over the last six years to study or find work abroad. The UK is the most popular destination for education and employment among Greeks because of high level of spoken English in Greece (youngsters learn English at school) and their EU citizenship, both of which give them easier access to education and jobs. Especially in the education sector, Greeks are eligible for discounts available to all EU nationals.

If the UK leaves the EU, thousands of Greek students will lose those discounts, will need a visa for their education and so on. Moreover, Greek employees will lose the benefits that come from being EU residents. This change could prompt a considerable number of Greeks to return to their home country, or an increase in their living costs (in the case of young people, these costs are mainly covered by their families back in Greece).

Politics

A UK departure could set the scene for the next exit from the EU (and the eurozone) or, alternatively, end such speculation once and for all. The outcome depends on the day after in the UK, the EU and the eurozone.

Brexit would put pressure on the bloc to decide whether it wants “more” or “less” Europe. This will affect the eurozone – and more specifically Germany and France.

If the UK were to leave the EU, countries such as Denmark and Norway would likely be tempted to try to renegotiate their relationship with the EU and the eurozone.

If the catastrophic scenarios do not materialize, and Britain continues to attract investments, create jobs and see growth (following a short adjustment period), this will again open the discussion regarding exits, especially among big economies like Italy. However, speculation about Grexit would surface again, even though the Greek economy is not as big as Italy's. Grexit would be a likely scenario for two reasons:

1. Greeks are exhausted after six years of tough austerity measures.

2. Greeks would also see Grexit as a potential solution to the refugee crisis.

In this case, Greek and eurozone politicians would renegotiate political and economic ties from scratch, including the bailout programs, the issue of debt, and the refugee crisis. Moreover, other exits cannot be ruled out.

On the contrary, if Brexit proves to be a bad decision, triggering big economic, social and political problems for the UK, then Euroskepticism will largely disappear.

Society

Greek society will be affected in two ways:

1. Greeks will lose one of their most popular alternatives for employment and residency. It is worth noting that the time candidates have to wait to sit exams for language certificates at the British Council in Athens that would allow them to seek an education or to emigrate to the UK has increased from one month before the crisis to up to three months now.

2. Many Greek students and employees in the UK will be forced to return to Greece. Other English-speaking countries (like the USA, Canada or Australia) are less attractive alternatives. These countries are further away and the cost of education (especially in the US) is higher. A large number of Greeks abroad would be forced to return to unemployment-hit Greece. Greece would have to receive a fresh wave of “migrants” – this time Greek nationals.