Grand Opening our new office at phnom penh
Greece banks on China, India to join Australia, US, Canada in feeding its tourism boom.
Europeans are, by far, the most frequent visitors to Greece. The advantage of proximity makes this easy to understand.
But things have been changing lately
An increasing number of visitors from the United States, Canada and Australia are being attracted to the charms of Athens and the islands. The Chinese have followed recently and it is now the turn of Indians to do so.
A study by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE) shows that a larger percentage of Indians (72.4%) are planning for a trip abroad than United States citizens (57%), along with about 69% of both Australians and Canadians and 59.5% of Chinese.
A little more than one in eight potential Indian travelers are planning five or more trips abroad for next year, a vastly higher number than among citizens of other countries.
Preferred foreign destination
Greece is the 11th preferred foreign destination among both Canadians and Australians, 13th most popular for Americans, and 31st for the Chinese. India, again, is a case apart: Greece may be only the 26th most popular destination for Indians, but it has jumped 13 places in just one year.
Among Mediterranean destinations, France and Italy top the lists of all those countries. Greece is usually in third or fourth place.
US citizens are also willing to spend more relative to others
17% of respondents say they plan to spend from 94 to 123 euros per night of stay, and another 14% would spend between 124 and 153 euros, while almost exactly one in four would be willing to spend over €183 per night.
Americans are followed, in descending order, by the Australians, the Canadians, the Chinese and the Indians. Among the latter, 13.9% respond, rather optimistically, that they would like to spend 24-32 euros daily, and another 12.6% wants to limit spending to 16-24 euros per day.
Most respondents would like to take at least a five- to seven-day trip to Greece and, while almost all would visit the better-known monuments, their main purpose is fun and relaxation. Only the Chinese put getting to know a different civilization as a top priority.
