The anticipated percentage reduction in tourist arrivals to Greece this year will not reach two-digit figures, Tourism Development Minister Costas Markopoulos said in a press conference on Tuesday. The minister stated that he was satisfied with the figures on arrivals at Greek airports during the first five months of the year, which pointed to an overall drop of 8.8 percent.

   The minister stressed that Greek tourism had rallied and come through, in spite of a difficult period when bookings had been at very low levels, while pessimistic forecasts predicting a drop in tourist arrivals as high as 20 percent had been proved wrong.

   Markopoulos also pointed to a recent spike in legislation concerning the tourism sector, such as a codification of tourism-related laws, laws regulating agrotourism and the operation of travel agencies, with another bill regulating extreme sports in the wings.

   He went on to announce plans for a merger between the Hellenic Tourism Development Company and the Hellenic Public Real Estate Corporation as a means of reducing the size of the public sector, stressing that there could not multiple bodies all handling public real estate.

    
Caption: ANA-MPA file photo