Greeks have taken more trips abroad and had more overnight in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the past four years, according to Bank of Greece figures.
More specifically Greeks took 237,000 more trips outside the border and had 1.1 million overnight stays more compared to the same period in 2016.
Up until the end of March, 1.58 million trips were recorded, from 1.34 million in 2016, 1.47 million in 2015 and 1.21 million in 2014. Departures increased both in terms of Individual travelers as well as package tours. Most of these trips were to Bulgaria. Overall, the number of trips to the neighboring country reached record levels of 389,100 visits.
The Bank of Greece also recorded an increase in travels to Turkey, reaching 121,700 visits, after a major decline in 2015. An upward turn was also recorded to Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Cyprus.
By contrast, less Greeks traveled to the U.S.A., Russia, the Czech Republic, Italy, France and Poland.
Overnight stays of Greeks abroad in the first quarter exceeded 9.9 million, compared with 8.8 million in the same period in 2016. Almost double were the overnight stays in the UK, reaching 1.6 million.
The average length of stay for Greeks abroad reached 6.3 nights, compared with 6.6 nights in the first quarter of 2016. According to the available data, the highest average length of stay was recorded in Egypt (28.6 nights), in Britain (21.8 nights), in the U.S.A. (21.6 nights), Russia (19.1 nights), Spain (16 nights) and Cyprus (13.6 nights). On the contrary, the shorter duration was recorded in Bulgaria (1.6 nights), in Turkey (3 nights) and in the Czech Republic (3.9 nights).
However, despite the increase in visits by Greeks to destinations outside the country, travel expenses decreased by 59.6 million euros. In total, the Greeks spent 403.1 million euros in the first quarter, compared with 462.7 million in the same period in 2016, 436.5 million in 2015 and 415 million in 2014.
Britain tops the list with the highest travel costs for Greeks, amounting to 55.6 million euros.
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