Greek Daily News 21/03/2024

ECONOMY

-Greece raised 250 million euros in a reopening of its 3.875% government bond maturing in June 2028, its debt agency PDMA said on Wednesday.

-State budget primary surplus stood at €2.1 billion in the two months of January-February 2024 compared to €3.7 billion in the corresponding period last year, the Bank of Greece data showed.

-The National Bank of Greece (NBG) has successfully completed the placement of a reduced-security bond in the market amounting to 500 million euros with a return of 5.875%, the lender announced.

-Greece will this year complete the sale of its outstanding stakes in five banks bailed out during last decade’s debt crisis and raise record revenues from state asset sales, its finance minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

TOURISM

-The number of investments in 5-star hotels in Greece has doubled between 2012-2022, according to the Greek Hospitality Market report released by property advisors Savills Hellas. Around 1,000 new 4- and 5-star hotels entered the Greek market adding some 73,000 rooms to the luxury segment.

-Millennials in Greece are traveling more with the number of overnight stays booked this spring up by 28% on an annual basis, seeking lesser-known destinations and adventure escapes, according to a new report by short-term rentals giant Airbnb. Top destinations in Greece for Greek travelers this spring are: Crete’s Rethymno, Evrytania’s Karpenisi, Ioannina in Epirus, Kastoria in Western Macedonia, Kalavryta in Peloponnese, Thessaly’s Trikala and Karditsa, Arachova in Central Greece, and Magnesia’s capital Volos.