The addition of 7,700 new beds over the last three years through the creation of new hotels and the upgrade of existing 4- and 5-star units on Rhodes and Kos was announced by Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura during the 13th Regional Conference on the Reconstruction of Production in the South Aegean held on the island of Rhodes, this week.
The South Aegean Region is a key player in Greek tourism growth, achieving increases in tourist arrivals, tourism-related revenue and overnight stays as recorded in the following figures:
- 73 applications for tourism investment licensing in the Dodecanese and five in the Cyclades are currently being examined by the Ministry
- 66 hotel ventures have submitted proposals to participate in the first round of funding under the development law with access to more than 288 million euros
- 234 requests are seeking subsidies for the upgrade of existing small and medium-sized enterprises.
Ms. Kountoura added that the region’s tourism performance recorded a 12% rise in the number of arrivals (5.8 million visitors from key source markets) as well as a 16% increase in overnight stays.
She also pointed out that the number of international arrivals to Rhodes grew by 12% between March and May, and by 26% from September to November.
The Minister said that she expects the momentum to continue into 2018 with double-digit growth, as more than 1.3 million international seats have been booked for the specific Region.
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