Greek tourist arrivals up 15.5pc

Tourist arrivals in Greece increased by 15.5 per cent in 2013, the state statistics agency said on Monday, a year when the country stabilised its shaky economy and avoided a messy exit from the euro. Overall, there were over 17.9 million arrivals between January and December last year compared to 15.5 million in 2012, the agency said. Most foreign arrivals -- 88.1 per cent -- came from elsewhere in Europe, a figure which rose 13.9 per cent year-on-year, including a 7.5-per cent increase from EU states, the agency said. Tourism, which makes up about 17 per cent of Greece's economy, had slumped in recent years with foreign vacationers turned off by images of striking Greeks and economic meltdown brought on by the debt crisis that began in 2009, according to a news agency.