Greek tourism is expected to grow by 6 to 7 percent this year, the Greek Institute of Tourism Research and Forecast (ITEP) said on Thursday.

In its six-month report on the Greek economy and tourism, ITEP said this conservative forecast was based on an hypothesis that Turkey would recover all 8.7 percent of ground lost in 2006 and stressed that verification of the forecast would be a very optimistic development not only for the tourism sector but for the Greek economy in general.

ITEP said 2006 was the second consecutive good year for tourism after the Olympic Games, although questions remained over a continuing slower growth of foreign exchange revenues. This development cannot be attributed simply to all inclusive policies followed by major hotels, the report noted.

The institute said this year's forecast is based on efforts to upgrade infrastructure and a wider acknowledgement of Greece as a top tourism destination, attracting more tourists from Eastern Europe, containing hotel price increases and improving tourism services and a revival of the US market.

Source: Xinhua