With the on-going financial troubles in Greece, and a raft of negative media coverage, it was expected that the country’s tourism industry would take a heavy hit this year. Recent reports, however, show a different picture, with tourism numbers on the up.
Tourism is one of Greece’s biggest industries, accounting for 16% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, around £142billion a year. With the fears over a worsening economy in Greece, the tourism industry expected a drop of 15% in visitor numbers for 2012. The reality, however, appears to be significantly different; visitor numbers did fall this year but only by a modest 5% and figures for holidays, such as solo holidays, in August are actually higher than usual!
The better than expected results have been, in part, put down to the strength of social media, with many using it to spread the word that fears about Greece’s stability were unjustified.
Image credit: jay galvin (flickr.com)
