Arrivals at Greek airports increased by 7.4 percent in 2016, compared with the previous year, the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) announced on Monday, citing data supplied by the Civil Aviation Authority and the management of the Athens international airport.
SETE said foreign arrivals reached 18.4 million in 2016, up from 17.1 million in 2015.
Athens posted an increase in international arrivals of 10.5 percent, while regional airports – in total – were up by a modest 5.8 percent.
Based on an analysis of the figures, arrivals from the UK were estimated at 3.3 million with an 86.8 percent seat occupancy rate, followed by Germany, 2.9 million, and Italy, 1.6 million. The top 10 countries of origin of passenger arrivals all shown an increase in 2016, whereas three countries in the top 15 showed decreases: Belgium, 40,000 less arrivals; Austria, 23,000 less arrivals, and Turkey, 89,000 less arrivals.
Meanwhile, Greek daily Kathimerini reports that airline seat occupancy on flights to Greece posted a 0.9 percentage point increase last year according to data processed by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).
Planes into Greece were 80 percent full in 2016 against 79.1 percent in 2015, while the number of seats available came to 23 million against 21.65 million in 2015.
SETE clarified that this concerns international arrivals, which also includes trips Greeks have made from countries abroad.
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