Greece, tourism income down 15.1% in Q1

Fewer German, British and Russian tourists visited Greece in the first quarter, contributing to a 15.1% drop in tourism receipts compared to the same period a year earlier, daily Athens News reported quoting figures from the Central Bank. The drop dampens hopes for a strong tourism season this year to help the economy. A key sector for the 215 billion euro economy that accounts for about a fifth of gross domestic product (GDP), tourism helped to narrow the government's current account gap to 9.8% of GDP in 2011. The Bank of Greece said receipts from Russian and German visitors were down by 41% and 7.9% respectively, while those from British travellers - the country's second-biggest tourism market after Germany - fell 11%.(ANSAmed).