On the other hand, traffic on the islands of Kos and Lesbos dropped 13 percent and 57 percent, respectively, while figures in Rhodes rose 9.3 percent compared to the same period in 2015.

The main airfields of Crete, the Ionian Islands and Cyclades also achieved improvements in the period under review, leading to a growth in demand at accommodation establishments.

Data released by Bank of Greece shows that tourist arrivals up to August increased 1.8 percent compared to 2015, travel receipts, however, dropped significantly.

In August for example, the figure was down 10 percent, prompting the national sector to start an intense discussion on the reasons.

According to GBR Consulting, the main factors contributing to the statistics include shorter length of stay, which is a trend that has been ongoing for the last decade.

Although demand from Balkan countries increased significantly during the past years, these travellers represent low spenders compared to other European states.

Especially the lower hotel categories and rooms to let units might have discounted their offerings in an attempt to fill up their properties.

New goals for Greece include 34.8 million tourists by 2021 and EUR20 billion receipts.

To achieve these targets, around EUR6.5 billion is expected to be invested in the industry.