The consequences from the crisis can already be felt. Data for May shows that the flow of foreign tourists has decreased with 11% in comparison to the same month last year. This statistic is kept in 13 Greek airports, which greet foreign tourists.

Let us note that April and May can serve as a preview for how busy the following summer months will be. 25 000 less job positions have been opened during this period in comparison to 2008.

Based on the newest information by the Labor Ministry, 125 173 contracts have been signed in May, 45 492 layoffs, and 27 287 people have quit their jobs. This year, 23 154 positions were available in April and one year ago during the same month, 38 192 people could find a job.

Hotel owners claim that May was better than expected. They even claim that 2009 can even end with a one digit number when it comes to the fall in tourism. Right now bigger problem are facing the smaller firms, who cannot compete with the higher prices of bigger hotels.

Despite this, it is believed that the income from foreign tourists will fall and not so much the number of tourists. First, because the offered prices by foreign tourist agents are lower than before and second, because foreigners have shortened their vacation time.

A bit of optimism comes from the fact that despite the dark prognosis, the “vacation in Greece” keyword search in Google is at the top of the ranking. Among the international users, the main competitor of Greece is Turkey.

The British, Australian and New Zealanders have the habit to search online for their summer vacation and they are the people who visit the Greek tourism websites the most, except for Greeks themselves.

South Africans, Singaporeans, citizens of Hong Kong, of the UAE, Indians and Canadians are also among the ones who like choosing their vacation spot over the internet. Based on the search results, the most preferred places are the islands Cephalonia, Santorini, and Rhodes. “If you book online, it is going to be up to 40% cheaper than if you get an offer from a tourist agency,” mentions the Greek media.