ATHENS – The line of tourists already heading to Greece, and scheduling summertime trips, is growing and now the French have made it their most favored destination, raising hopes for a record year.

Greece was first in the number of tourism sales made by physical and online agencies in France, according to the monthly report of the largest French industry publication L’Echo Touristique and research company Orchestra.

The survey showed that total turnover for Greece increased 37 percent in February compared to the same time in 2021 as tourism was coming back when the COVID-19 pandemic was waning.

The average expenditure per capita was up 4 percent with Greece hoping that tourism in 2023 will bring in more than the 17.9 billion euros ($19.39 billion) that was raked in during 2022.

This is the first time Greece topped the table of sales during the winter as the Tourism Ministry has been campaigning to get people to come year round and featuring attractions other than summer, sand, beaches and islands.