Greek tourism arrivals up 15.5% in 2013

Tourist arrivals in Greece increased by 15.5 percent in 2013, the state statistics agency said Monday, a year when the country stabilised its shaky economy and avoided a messy exit from the euro. Overall, there were over 17.9 million arrivals between January and December last year compared to 15.5 million in 2012, the agency said. Most foreign arrivals -- 88.1 percent -- came from elsewhere in Europe, a figure which rose 13.9 percent year-on-year, including a 7.5-percent increase from EU states, the agency said. Among the 15.8 million Europeans who visited in 2013, there were 2.3 million from Germany, 1.9 million from Britain -- albeit with a 3.9-percent drop -- and 1.2 million from France. There was also a major influx from Russia, with arrivals increasing from 874,000 to 1.4 million. Tourism, which makes up about 17 percent of Greece's economy, had slumped in recent years with foreign vacationers turned off by images of striking Greeks and economic meltdown brought on by the debt crisis that began in 2009. In 2012, there was political instability and double elections that stalled the progress of reforms and raised fears of a humiliating Greek exit from the euro. Last year, Greece scored its first primary surplus in years. It began to lure back investors and convinced international creditors of its determination to carry out promised structural changes to revive the economy. The Greek economy is expected to exit a six-year recession this year.