Visitor numbers to hit 30m – three times nation’s population – as experts grapple to balance economic gains with conservation
Hoards of tourists huddle in groups along the cobbled boulevard beneath the Acropolis on a late November morning more summery than autumnal. Others get on and off the open-top doubledeckers running the riviera route. A man dressed as an ancient marathon warrior poses “for a fee” with the majestic citadel in the background.
“We’re having a great year,” says the Greek tourism minister, Vassilis Kikilias. “It’s almost December and the season is still going which is exactly what we want – to extend it, bit by bit.”