Russia, CIS states are attraction for Greek tour operators

Russian tourists like to spend their holidays in Greece. Nearly 1.5 million Russian tourists visited Greece last year, which added 1.3 billion euros to the Greek budget.

The Greek sector of tourism is concentrated on the Russian market, a billionaire, Konstantinos Mitsis, the founding father of the empire of luxury hotels, which are known all over the world, says. The Greek Forum – the joint initiative of Russia and Greece – has been setting the tone to the new tourist season for the eighth year in a row now.

Nobody in Greece is concealing the fact that the Russian citizens as well as the citizens of other countries in the post-Soviet space are most welcome – in other words, a titbit. Rhodes, Kos, Crete, Corfu, and other islands associated with the myths and legends of Ancient Greece are ready to give a hearty welcome. And what serves as an attraction for all those who go to Greece are its rich nature, the monuments of ancient civilization, and of course, the Orthodox shrines.

"On the results of last year, Greece has found itself on the leading troika list among the preferences of Russian tourists. It is a great achievement. Of course, to a great extent, this success is explained by the fact that historically, we are closely interlinked, and what unites us are religion, culture, and many other things. And now we want other people to see how rich our cultural and historical heritage is and besides, want them to make sure that Greece is doing its utmost to give a boost to modern traditions," president of the Greek National Tourism Organization Christos Pallis said.

And although the economic and political situation in the world is introducing its amendments into the current developments, the fact remains that the flow of Russian tourists continues to grow, as has become visible over the past few years. And the Greek crisis – even when it reached its peak - was unable to bring it to a halt. Of course, Greece has rivals in the fight for Russian tourists – meaning Italy, Spain and Turkey. It would be good to mention here that visas are not needed for visiting Turkey. Greece has already done much and continues its efforts to facilitate the visa regime. But one thing must be clear here: as long as the Schengen visa and the European Union exist, all attempts to cardinally resolve this issue will remain unsuccessful. And still, Greece has opened its visa centers in many Russian cities. Today one needs two or three days to receive a Greek visa. And one more thing here: Greeks give multiple visas willingly, despite the fact that the EU disapproves such things. What’s more, Greece plans to grant visas for five years? It is in its interests because tourism accounts for 68 per cent of the Greek GDP. Of course, Russia’s efforts on this track should also be praised - Russia is actively promoting tourism to Greece – and had it not been for Russia's efforts, the results would not have been as impressive as they are. Not only tourism but also humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Greece are developing successfully as well.

"Tourism is a broad notion. It covers many things –culture, education, and cooperation in the field of humanitarian and natural sciences. Ancient Greece gave birth to philosophy, theater, mathematical sciences, Olympic Games, and democracy. And it seems to me that the fact that the workers in culture and science visit Greece guided by their professional interests is very good," noted Fotoula Sapounaki, head of one of the leading companies on the Greek tourist market.

Thanks to the efforts of the two countries, 2016 is declared the Year of Russiian –Greek Tourism.

In an interview with the Voice of Russia State Duma Deputy Mikhail Yemelyanov said: "The relations between Russia and Greece are multifaceted. And what matters here is not only tourism. Therefore, it would be good to declare 2015 the Exchange Culture Year of Russia and Greece. A boost should be given to the Russia –Greece contacts."

Of course, problems in the field of Russia –Greece tourism do exist. And what matters here are not only the fluctuations of the ruble exchange rate caused by the developments in Ukraine. Early hotel reservation for Russian tourists as well as for tourists from the CIS states has fallen by 30 per cent, tour operators say. And as regards Greece, it confirms that although it is somewhat premature at the moment to say that the crisis has been settled, the situation in the country has visibly improved. And the fact that this year’s forum took place in the Greek capital Athens is convincing evidence.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com
30/4/14
--
-
Related:

• Greek export, tourist companies oppose likely sanctions against Russia...

• ΥΠΕΞ: 14 παραγωγικοί φορείς εξέφρασαν την έντονη αντίθεσή τους στο ενδεχόμενο επιβολής νέων κυρώσεων στην Ρωσία