The first charter flight landed at Crete’s Heraklion airport Nikos Kazantzakis on March 22 kicking off the spring and summer tourism season which locals hope will be better than last year. The Condor flight carried 174 German visitors who will stay for two weeks.
Two more flights came later in the day, one with 162 tourists from Dusseldorf, Germany and other from Tel Aviv, carrying 166 people, with Greece hoping for an influx of Jewish tourists this year as well.
Next week will see an increase in charters, from Austria and Russia. The early indication for the new tourist season seems positive with hopes that visitors have forgotten images of 2012 Greece with protests, strikes and riots against austerity measures that inconvenienced visitors.
Charter flights especially from Russia, are expected to increase by at least 30 percent. German arrivals are also expected to increase, according to industry officials.
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