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ECONOMY
-Greece will tap the international markets seeking to raise 250 million euros, according to the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) which will proceed with the reissuance of a 10-year bond within the framework of the planned auction.
-According to the Ergani employment database of the Ministry of Labor, 132,352 new jobs were created last month. Layoffs reached 221,879, up by 35,634 compared to the 186,245 that had occurred in April 2023.
-The turnover of companies active in the sector of accommodation stood at 436,641,282 euro in the first quarter of 2024, recording an increase of 13.4% in comparison with the first quarter 2023, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT). The biggest increase in the turnover in accommodation was recorded on the island of Kos (62.9%) and the smallest increase (5.2%) in the regional unit of Thessaloniki.
For the total of enterprises in Food and Beverage Service Activities, the turnover amounted to 1,799,689,378 euro, recording an increase of 9.4% in comparison with the first quarter 2023, when the respective turnover was 1,645,284,897 euro. The largest increase was recorded by the regional unit of Messinia in Peloponnese (16.1%) and the smallest was recorded on the Ionian island of Zakynthos.
-An increase of 1.5% was recorded in the turnover of all enterprises and activities of the economy in the first quarter of 2024, amounting to 100,812,534 thousand euro.
TOURISM
-Tourism arrivals jumped 24.5% in the first quarter of 2024 on an annual basis, the Bank of Greece data showed. Travel receipts stood at 942 million euros (up 28.2%). During March 2024, arrivals in tourist accommodation establishments amounted to 1,167,330 and nights spent amounted to 2,642,364, recording an increase of 3.5% in arrivals and of 4.9% in nights spent when compared to the corresponding month of 2023, according to ELSTAT.
-The volume of UK tourists visiting Greece during the off-peak period in 2023 has nearly doubled compared to previous years, British Airways reported. The upward trend continues, with the UK market ranksing as the third largest for international direct traffic and second for foreign visitors in the first four months of 2024, up 24% on an annual basis. British Airways has significantly contributed to this growth, reporting a 6.6% increase in passengers in January-April 2024 compared to the same period last year.
CULTURE
Chinese will have the opportunity to enjoy the Greece of tourism and culture by visiting the exhibition “Greece through the Art of the Tourist Poster”, which was inaugurated on Monday in the city of Chengdu, China, AMNA reported. The exhibition is held in cooperation with Chengdu Municipality and other local authorities and consists of selected tourist posters from a period of about 100 years.
