Managing Director of tour operator Tez Tour Dimitris Charitidis states that there are very few tourists from Russia in Greece, and their number is decreasing.
He told the Russian agency RIA Novosti about this. In 2023, 32.7 million tourists visited the country, of which only 35.7 thousand people were from Russia. Just a few years ago, about 800 thousand Russians came to Greece annually. Mr. Charitidis says:
“There are few Russians, very few. There are fewer and fewer of them. Last year there were 35 thousand, this year, I think, there will be fewer. We have Russians, but there are few of them. Last year, during this period, 291 Russians booked a vacation with us. This year, there are 229. This is for 90 thousand tourists who booked with us from the Baltic countries, mainly from the Balkans. We have a total of 229 people today. By the way, there are almost as many Ukrainians – 170 people.”
The head of the company, which was previously one of the leading tour operators in the Russian Federation on the Greek route, adds that he wants Russians to return: “But when everything will happen, I don't know. Everything changes.”
Charitidis also noted the high cost of air tickets to Moscow. Greece, as part of European sanctions, has suspended air traffic with Russia, and as a result, Russian tourists can only enter the country through third countries – Turkey, Serbia, Egypt, and the UAE.
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