Greece is on course to set an annual tourism revenue record, and numbers are rebounding strongly in other Mediterranean countries. The travel season has been robust through October, even as countries face other economic struggles.
“There is an expectation that these challenges will begin to bite as we move into the final quarter of this year and into 2023,” he said. “We do not expect the travel recovery to stall in 2023, but we do expect it will slow somewhat in 2023 in line with the general economic slowdown, before picking up again in 2024.
At Loom Carpets, co-owner Vahan Apikian, folded and stacked carpets and laid out shoulder bags for customers, happy that demand has remained high well into the autumn. “Business has gone very well: We had many more visitors than in 2019, which was a record year. This year was even better,” he said., Greece and other southern member states have renewed national efforts to set up year-round holiday destinations, hoping that hiking trails, rock climbing and visits to historic churches can dampen the winter drop in arrivals.
“There isn’t much point in advertising a trail to a historic monastery that closes at 3 p.m. or trying to bring seniors to a destination with bad roads and no hospital access … tourism exposes every weakness an administration has,” he said.government aid for struggling businesses and households“Anything like tourism that generates wealth is unquestionably positive,” he said. “But how that money is spent — that’s a different conversation.