International arrivals to Athens are on the rise with the Greek capital establishing itself as a major congress destination and the number of city break (short holiday stays in a city) visitors soaring by 600 percent since 2013, according to the Mayor of Athens Giorgos Kaminis.
Speaking to reporters during a press conference on Thursday, the mayor said that in 2012 – the time when Athens was undergoing difficult times due to the crisis – arrivals at the Athens International Airport (AIA) had reached the lowest point in years at 2.5 million. In 2017 arrivals doubled to 5 million.
Furthermore, during the first four months of 2018, occupancy rates at Athens hotels increased by some 5 percent. “Four out of 10 tourists are city break visitors,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, according to data published by AIA, between January and May 2018, passenger traffic at Athens Airport exceeded 8 million, achieving double-digit growth by 10.9 percent.
The mayor also added that in efforts to sustain the trend and further enhance the momentum, the City of Athens is carrying out a number of projects under the Athens Tourism Partnership, an initiative currently running with the collaboration of AEGEAN and AIA.
*Source: GTPHeadlines
