Greek tourism revenue nears pre-pandemic record
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Greece's tourism revenue fell just short of pre-pandemic levels in the first seven months of the year, official data showed Wednesday.
Travel receipts in January-July totalled nearly 8.85 billion euros ($8.75 billion), the Greek central bank said in a statement.
This was 2.9 percent below a record Greek year in 2019 prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Arrivals so far are 12.1 percent lower at 13.26 million compared to 2019.
Against last year, receipts until July were up by 154.2 percent, and arrivals increased by 191.4 percent, the bank said.
Most of the visitors came from Germany, the UK, France and the US.
The Greek government had peeled back coronavirus restrictions early this year to boost visitor numbers.
Mandatory screening tests for travellers who hold a European vaccination certificate were scrapped in February.
Vaccine passes were no longer required in restaurants, bars and shops from May 1, while mandatory masks indoors were scrapped from June 1.