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Greece is recognized worldwide for its idyllic beach tourist charm and laid-back lifestyle. Before the global pandemic hit, the World Travel and Tourism Council said tourism generated more than a fifth of Greece’s total GDP.
This year, the country faced record numbers of tourists during the summer tourist season. According to Greece’s Minister of Tourism Vasilis Kikilias, in August alone, the country received nearly one million tourists in a week.
a report According to ForwardKeys’ survey of summer tourism this year, Greece had six spaces out of the top 10 ‘sun and beach’ places in Europe. These included destinations in Mykonos, Thira (Santorini), Heraklion (Crete), and Thessaloniki. Athens, the country’s capital, ranks him third in European “city” destinations.
Among the 27 European Union member states, Greece occupies the sixth spot in terms of cryptocurrency ATMs, with 64 in active use. More than half of Greek crypto ATMs are shared between Athens and Thessaloniki.
However, Bitcoin ATM operator BCash has strategically placed ATMs on the trendy islands of Mykonos, Santorini and Crete. Cointelegraph spoke to BCash Managing Director and Co-Founder Dimitrios Tsangalidis about how cryptocurrencies will affect the Greek tourist season, or how it will affect itself. I was.
Mykonos and Santorini are the most visited tourist destinations, but mainland ATMs make up the majority, according to Tshangaridis. Especially in central Athens and Thessaloniki, where the first ATMs were installed.
However, the co-founder said Crete, the country’s most populous and popular tourist destination, has a “very loyal cryptocurrency crowd.”
Heraklion, Crete has a strong crypto community [which is] ATM’s in one location.
In Heraklion, the capital of Crete, local startup accelerator H2B Hub is working with the Greek-speaking University of Nicosia to create and support a local blockchain community.
Both Athens and Thessaloniki are active regular meetups for the cryptocurrency and blockchain communities.
According to Tsangaridis, tourism is part of the Greek economy, which is not reflected in the crypto scene. increase.
During the summer months and high tourist seasons, demand will drop.
Especially when it comes to normal traffic, this reduction can also be equated with locals going on vacation.
Related: Tourists flock to El Salvador despite Bitcoin bear market
In general, Greece needs to be more conscious of cryptocurrencies and their utility in everyday life, summarizes Tsangalidis.
The impact on local tourism may only become noticeable once cryptocurrencies are generally adopted in society.
He adds that so far there is little to no infrastructure or recruitment from the corporate and municipal level in Greece. If our government becomes crypto-friendly and businesses are given the green light, adoption will continue.
In May of this year, Angela Gerekou, president of the Greek National Tourism Board, said the country is currently exploring ways blockchain technology can bring security and transparency to tourism.
