Shortly before the tourist season officially begins, statistics for April support estimates by tourist agents and large tour operators that Greece will be among the most popular destinations in the Mediterranean this summer.
According to the most optimistic estimates, Greece may be able to accommodate up to 20 million tourists in 2014, 1.5 million more than last year.
The positive outlook for the Greek tourism industry has been visible since the beginning of the year, with enthusiastic reviews about Greece in international media praising the country as one of the most popular tourist destinations.
Meanwhile, on a daily basis, domestic and international airlines announce new flights connecting Greece directly with other European countries, leading to more than 1.7 million available seats being offered this year for tourists traveling to Greece.
Already, most airports across the country report increased tourist arrivals, with the first charter flights of the season having landed in April.
Rhodes international airport recorded an increase in April arrivals of 23.69 percent compared to 2013, with charter flights from abroad up by 34 percent.
Data for the city of Heraklion on the Greek southern island of Crete suggest that this summer will be a record-breaking season for tourism. April numbers were decisive, showing the levels of last June, with arrivals increasing by 43.16 percent. Germans made for the biggest increase in arrivals (70 percent), followed by British (50 percent) and French (30 percent).
On the northwestern Greek island of Corfu, international arrivals also increased by 5.7 percent, with 27,187 tourists visiting, compared to 25,632 last April. Most flights originated from the U.K. (11,438), followed by France (4,592), Germany (3,324), Belgium (2,210) and Russia (1,086).
Increased was also the traffic flow at the airport on Kos, where the first month of the tourist season brought 21.5 percent more tourists. The biggest increase was recorded by tourists from Germany (222.59 percent), followed by tourists from Poland (111.84 percent).
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