Travel hotspot faces tourism crisis as holidaymakers 'refuse to spend money'
dailyrecord.co.ukGreece, a wildly popular holiday destination, is currently grappling with an unexpected dilemma as a spending crunch has impacted visitors spending money this summer.Despite witnessing a 21.3% boost in tourist numbers in May and a 6.8% uptick in overall tourism revenue, fresh insights from the Bank of Greece divulge a worrying pattern: tourists are tightening their purse strings.On average, each trip saw a 12.2% reduction in spend, with international visitors shelling out just 570.7 euros in 2023 - that's a drop of 3.5% compared to last year.Forecasts for the following year pose an even grimmer picture, hinting at an additional 3.6% fall that could slash average spending to roughly 550 euros per visit.
This cutback on expenditures coincides with a downturn in the average duration of stays, which shrunk by 11.2% the previous year, reports the Express.
Particularly affected is Athens, where the deficit in spending per journey reached 7% in the past couple of years. All this comes at a time when inflation soars and costs rise sharply.The Mayor of Athens, Harris Doukas, didn't mince his words during a Euronews interview, saying: "Each visitor brings €0.40 to the city, and we haven't seen this money yet."He further emphasised the imperative for sustainable tourism that benefits both Athens and its inhabitants, insisting, "We need to find a way to make tourism viable."Unfortunately, Athens isn't the only place feeling the pinch.
Tourist hotspots like Santorini and Mykonos are feeling the strain of their popularity, with locals suffering through a housing crunch and rent prices soaring amidst the surge of visitors.University of West Attica's Professor Katerina Kikilia has highlighted the consequences: "Athenians face daily the
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