The COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on the Greek Tourism Sector: A Case Study of the Region of Eastern Macedonia - Thrace

The recent novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19 pandemic) has led to a new, multi-faceted societal, healthcare and generalized economic crisis, both at national and International levels. The measures taken to deal with the pandemic have resulted in unprecedented situations in almost all sectors of the Greek economy. This article attempted to investigate the extent of the impact of this new crisis on Greek tourism companies, focusing on the case of tourist accommodation and food services by region, since the tourism industry has been greatly afflicted. The main variable examined was the degree of decline in the turnover of the tourism businesses under discussion over the last two years, at regional and national levels. This was supplemented with comparative analyses of similar measurable data. Secondary and statistical data were obtained from the Hellenic Statistical Authority, the Hellenic Tourism Organization and databases of other related institutions. Keywords: COVID-19, tourism industry, Greek companies, tourist product, region οf Eastern Macedonia - Thrac