(Greece) Stability, VAT, air seats to affect 2016 tourism

[unhappycamper]

http://www.ekathimerini.com/200207/article/ekathimerini/business/stability-vat-air-seats-to-affect-2016-tourism



Stability, VAT, air seats to affect 2016 tourism
STATHIS KOUSOUNIS
03.08.2015 : 21:08

Greek tourism is bracing for a test of strength next year as the number of criteria that will determine its performance in 2016 – and therefore its contribution to the national economy – is the highest observed in the last decade.

The head of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, Yiannis Retsos, says that the political and economic environment in the country will be one of the most significant criteria in the coming year. Therefore, stability will have to be safeguarded to maintain Greece’s image as a safe destination for international markets, a characteristic that has been particularly appreciated in recent years.

It is key to ensure that the country remains a member of the eurozone. Retsos stresses that the characteristics of the Greek tourism product should be preserved, something that can only take place within the eurozone. He notes that foreign visitors have grown used to coming to contact with the local communities of the areas they visit across the country and that an exit from the euro would distort the Greek destination’s features.

Another factor is the value-added tax increases that will affect the market considerably as of this fall: The rise in the VAT rate for hotel accommodation to 13 percent from October and for food service to 23 percent will effectively double the tax on the majority of tourism packages for 2016 compared with this year.