General

Holidays by Destination Europe Greece General 

Greece draws two very different types of holidaymaker - those looking for cheap sun (the country sees around 2.5 million arrivals each year from the UK alone) and those wanting to experience the Mediterranean culture and the country's famous history.

Second are generally better served as they tend to steer clear of the large hotels popular with big tour operators. Greeks are generally better at running their own businesses than working for other people so the larger the hotel, broadly speaking, the less reliable the service. Smaller, family-run properties are generally both friendlier and better and catering to the customer's requirements.

To a degree the poor service for some visitors caused a drop in visitor numbers in the mid ‘90s. However, these have risen again and remain around 10 million a year. Keen to keep them coming the authorities are promoting options like thalassotherapy, 'green' tourism, and cruises, as well as conferences and incentives. These will all rely on a rather improved standard of service and it remains to be seen whether this will be forthcoming.