The links between the demographic issue and tourism will be discussed during a seminar on 12 May, in the Kastellaki Hall of the Chamber of Heraklion, as well as how tourism can be an economic growth lever for Greece.

The event, which is co-organised by the Region of Crete and the Heraklion Triplex Association, will examine the interdependence of the demographic issue and the tourism industry, a tie evidenced by the data published by ELSTAT and Eurostat.

Economic growth in Greece is inextricably linked to the demographic problem and tourism, as tourism growth leads inevitably to economic prosperity, which in turn results in a positive knock-on effect to the demographic problem.

Based on currently available data, Crete is the only region in Greece which has a positive birth rate, with 2.02 births in comparison to 2 deaths.
In contrast, Epirus had a ratio of 2 deaths to one birth. This comparison reflects the proportional relation between tourism and high birth rates, as Crete is the “flagship” of the tourism economy, while Epirus is an area where tourism lags behind.