The Hellenic Statistical Authority announced that in 2013, the number of foreign tourists in Greece increased by 15.5%, reaching nearly the 18million mark. This reflects that over the past six years, Greece has been vigorously developing its tourism industry to revitalize an economy that had fallen into recession and to stimulate economic growth. It also demonstrates that the Greek economy relies heavily on the healthy development of the tourism sector, which has become a pillar industry for Greece's economic growth.
Additionally, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority, 88.1% of tourists came from Europe, including Russia (accounting for 7.5% of total tourists). Germany topped the list of tourist origins (12.7%), followed closely by the United Kingdom (10.3%), while French and Italian tourists accounted for 6.4% and 5.4% of the total, respectively. Furthermore, the statistics from the Hellenic Statistical Authority highlighted that the number of tourists from Turkey is increasing year by year.
Statistics indicate that the tourism industry accounts for approximately 17% of Greece's gross domestic product and provides 18% of employment. After six years of economic recession, the capital, Athens, has relied on this traditional tourism industry to further recover and develop its economy. As of now, Greece's 2014 economic growth has exceeded expectations by 0.6%.
