Tourism Min.: The whole world is voting for Greece

“Athens is preparing for 1 million visitors this week” reports British newspaper Guardian, pointing out that the Greek islands are recording record tourist flows, while many internationally renown personalities are visiting the country.

The British paper also hosts a lengthy statement from Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias from the Observer. “This year the whole world is voting for Greece” says Mr. Kikilias underscoring that “although we have a war in Europe, a pandemic that is still with us, energy crisis, global uncertainty, inflation, tensions with Turkey, tourists still they are coming. Arrivals to popular islands increased by 20%.”

All time record

The publication states that the figures already show that this year’s tourist season in Greece will surpass the all-time record recorded in 2019 with 33.1 million visitors, a number 3 times the total population of the country.

Read also: Guardian readers vote for Milos

“However, Greeks know that a harsh winter awaits them. According to Eurostat, inflation this month reached 11.5% – the highest level in the last 28 years” reports the Guardian, quoting a statement from economist Nikos Vettas who notes that “Greece, although now growing faster than many other countries in Europe, thanks in part to tourism, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine are huge threats that cannot be ignored.”