ATHENS – “This year tourism proved that is Greece’s “heavy industry” and can not only support the national economy but also offer a substantial support in very difficult conditions” Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias stated among others in an interview with Athens-Macedonian News Agency on Sunday.

Kikilias also said that nobody can doubt the excellent course of tourism in Greece until this moment.

He said that in this period Greece will welcome 1 mln tourists every week underlining that in July the tourist arrivals exceeded 900,000 every week.

The minister made a special reference to the arrivals from USA noting that in June they increased by 50 percent in comparison with 2019 while there was a 32 percent increase in the arrivals from Austria and 24 percent from Israel. “This year, Greece will be the number one destination in travelers from France and Israel, very high in list of travelers from the Balkans and in the first three positions in travelers from Germany and from the Scandinavian countries.

One of the greatest wagers of the Greek tourism is still the extension of the tourism season. “There are indications, not evidence, that the tourism season has already been extended and yes, there are also indications that it will be further extended” Kikilias said,