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Do not fill this in! === Tourism === {{Main|Tourism in Greece}} [[File:Blue-dome-Santorini.JPG|alt=|thumb|[[Santorini]], a popular tourist destination, is ranked as the world's top island in many travel magazines and sites.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/islands/top-10-islands/237 | work = Travel+Leisure | title = 2011 World's Best Awards | access-date = 16 July 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110712204603/http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/islands/top-10-islands/237 | archive-date = 12 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bbc.com/travel/slideshow/20111123-worlds-best-islands | publisher = BBC | access-date = 1 December 2011 | title = World's Best Islands }}</ref>]] Tourism has been a key element of the economic activity in the country and one of the country's most important sectors, contributing 20.6% of the gross domestic product as of 2018.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Chloe Wynne |title=Greek tourism sector growing over three times faster than wider economy says new WTTC research |url=https://www.wttc.org/about/media-centre/press-releases/press-releases/2019/greek-tourism-sector-growing-over-three-times-faster-than-wider-economy-says-new-wttc-research/ |website=WTTC |access-date=21 April 2019}}</ref> Greece was the 9th most visited country in the world in 2022, hosting 27.8 million visitors.<ref name="May2023"/> Greece welcomed over 31.3 million visitors in 2019,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hellasjournal.com/2019/01/entyposiazoyn-ta-stoicheia-toy-ypoyrgeioy-toyrismoy-ta-esoda-xepernoyn-ta-21-dis-eyro/ |title=Tourism Ministry Statistics Impress |date=30 January 2019 |access-date=24 September 2022}}</ref> and around 28 million in 2016,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsbeast.gr/travel/arthro/2545878/espase-ta-konter-o-ellinikos-tourismos-to-2016|title="Έσπασε τα κοντέρ" ο ελληνικός τουρισμός το 2016|date=20 January 2017|publisher=Newsbeast.gr|access-date=3 August 2017}}</ref> which is an increase from the 26.5 million tourists it welcomed in 2015 and the 19.5 million in 2009,<ref name="Eurostat Tourism table">{{cite web|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/setupModifyTableLayout.do |title=Nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments – regional – annual data |year=2010|publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> and the 17.7 million tourists in 2007,<ref name="Eurostat Tourism">{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-HA-10-001-11/EN/KS-HA-10-001-11-EN.PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516161713/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-HA-10-001-11/EN/KS-HA-10-001-11-EN.PDF|archive-date=16 May 2011|title=Tourism |year=2010 |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> making Greece one of the [[World Tourism rankings#Europe|most visited countries]] in Europe in the recent years. The vast majority of visitors in Greece in 2007 came from the European continent, numbering 12.7 million,<ref name="A2001">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A2001/Other/A2001_STO03_TB_MM_12_2007_02_F_GR.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114095907/http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A2001/Other/A2001_STO03_TB_MM_12_2007_02_F_GR.pdf|archive-date=14 November 2010 |script-title=el:02. Αφίξεις αλλοδαπών από το εξωτερικό κατά υπηκοότητα και μέσο ταξιδίου ( Δεκέμβριος 2007 ) |trans-title=02. Arrivals of foreigners from abroad by nationality and means of travel (December 2007) |date=December 2007 |publisher=Hellenic National Statistics Agency|language=el |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> while the most visitors from a single nationality were those from the United Kingdom, (2.6 million), followed closely by those from Germany (2.3 million).<ref name="A2001" /> In 2010, the most visited [[modern regions of Greece|region]] of Greece was that of [[Central Macedonia]], with 18% of the country's total tourist flow (amounting to 3.6 million tourists), followed by [[Attica]] with 2.6 million and the [[Peloponnese]] with 1.8 million.<ref name="Eurostat Tourism table" /> [[Northern Greece]] is the country's most-visited geographical region, with 6.5 million tourists, while Central Greece is second with 6.3 million.<ref name="Eurostat Tourism table" /> In 2010, [[Lonely Planet]] ranked Greece's northern and second-largest city of [[Thessaloniki]] as the world's fifth-best party town worldwide, comparable with cities such as [[Dubai]] and [[Montreal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/travel-tips-and-articles/39339 |title=Ultimate party cities |publisher=[[Lonely Planet]] |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> In 2011, [[Santorini]] was voted as "The World's Best Island" in ''[[Travel + Leisure]]''.<ref name="Best Islands">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/islands/europe-islands/242|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712230838/http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/islands/europe-islands/242|archive-date=12 July 2011|title=World's Best Awards – Islands |magazine=[[Travel + Leisure]] |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> Its neighboring island [[Mykonos]], came in fifth in the European category.<ref name="Best Islands" /> There are [[List of World Heritage sites in Greece|19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Greece,<ref name="Unesco">{{cite web|title=Greece Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List (17)|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/gr |publisher=Unesco}}</ref> and Greece is ranked 17th in the world in terms of total sites. Thirteen further sites are on the tentative list, awaiting nomination.<ref name="Unesco" /> {{wide image|Corfu Town R02.jpg |1200px| Panoramic view of the old [[Corfu City]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], as seen from the [[Old Fortress, Corfu|Old Fortress]]. The Bay of Garitsa is to the left and the port of [[Corfu]] is just visible on the top right. [[Spianada Square]] is in the foreground.}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page