We should not expect any immediate impact on Greek tourism from the Trump tariffs, the President of the Hellenic Hotel Federation, Yannis Hatzis, estimated in an interview with “Naftemporiki”.
He suggested that it would be more productive and beneficial to address the issues that directly and negatively affect Greek tourism, such as the very high VAT on accommodation, levies, and uncontrolled short-term rentals, among others.
At the same time, he called for improvements to the licensing framework for hotel investments, steering it in a more investment-friendly direction.
More specifically, he stated: “Greek tourism has shown remarkable resilience and at this stage, at least, we should not expect any immediate impacts. There is obviously uncertainty in the global economy until the landscape is clarified with the tariff policy that the new US President will ultimately follow. According to 2024 data, the United States now ranks as the third most important inbound tourism market for Greece (excluding cruises), contributing revenues of approximately 1.6 billion and bringing in over 1.5 million visitors. Compared to 2019, there is an impressive increase in both receipts (+392 million, +33%) and the number of arrivals (+368 thousand, +31%).”
