The Impact of COVID-19 on Hospitality Industry in Greece and Its Treasured Santorini Island

Nikola Medová,Lucie Macková,Jaromir Harmacek

doi:10.3390/su13147906

Abstract

This paper focuses on the dynamic of the recent upheaval in the tourism and hospitality sector due to the COVID-19 epidemic in Greece and Santorini island. It uses the case study of a country one-fourth of whose GDP consists of tourism. We compare the available statistical data showing the change in variables in the previous years with 2020 and look into the new challenges and opportunities posed by the drop in the numbers of visitors and flights. We focus mainly on the economic and social impact on the destination and possible future scenarios for further development in the area. Data show a significant effect of the pandemic on multiple variables, such as the long-term trend of the importance of tourism sector in GDP in Greece, the number of flights and visitors to Greece and Santorini island, and the contribution of tourism and travel to GDP. Based on the available data, we also construct three foresight scenarios that describe the possible futures for Santorini island in terms of the pandemic evolution. These scenarios may help various stakeholders and policymakers to be better prepared for different developments that may appear.

Highlights

The following text is based on the statistical results that provide evidence of Greece and Santorini’s dependency on travel and tourism and illustrate the change in basically all travel and tourism data in 2020
The article analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Greece and Santorini island in 2020
According to the statistical data, both the country and the island experienced a significant decline in the number of incoming passengers, which resulted in the drop of gross domestic product (GDP) that is highly dependent on tourism sector (20% of Greek GDP comes from tourism)

Summary

Introduction

Greece is a country located in Southeast Europe that is largely sought as a favorite tourist destination in both its variants, in mainland and its islands. Its GDP consists of three main branches, agriculture, industry, and services. From a long-term point of view, services make up around 70% of total GDP [1]. Greece faces over-tourism that brings several problematic consequences in economic, social, and environmental regard [2]

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