ECONOMY
-Greece raised 600 million euros through an 6-month Treasury bill auction held by the Public Debt Management Agency on Wednesday (July 24). The issue matures on January 24; the settlement date is July 26.
-The European Commission has approved the fourth loan payment of 2.3 billion to Greece under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
-Eurobank, Greece’s biggest lender, during its annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday (July 23) announced that for the first time after 16 years proposed the distribution of a dividend of 0.933 euros per share. The amount corresponds to a 30% payout ratio of the Net Profit for 2023.
TOURISM
-In 2023, the number of residents of any age who made at least one trip amounted to 4.9 million and the number of trips to 8.3 million, recording an increase of 1.7% and 0.6%, respectively, compared with 2022, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority’s (ELSTAT) Survey on the Qualitative Characteristics of Resident Tourists. As regards the purpose of the aforementioned trips made by residents aged 15 and over, 96.6% of the trips were made for personal reasons (leisure, recreation and holidays, visiting friends and relatives, other personal reasons) and 3.4% were business trips.
-European short-stay accommodation bookings continue double-digit growth. In Q4 2023, bookings via platforms (Airbnb, Expedia, Tripadvisor and Booking.com) for short-term stays in Greece posted 28.7% growth on an annual basis, according to Eurostat. Greece’s performance outpaced the EU, where bookings via platforms increased by 22.7% y-o-y in Q4 2023.
-More than 4,500 citizen complaints about beaches and coastlines across Greece have been checked by the Ministry of National Economy and Finance over the past three weeks, while the fines imposed exceed a total of 800,000 euros, AMNA reported. The six areas with the most complaints are Chalkidiki, Preveza, East Attica, Cyclades and Dodecanese. According to the Ministry of Finance, these places have been returned to the citizens for free use,