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A record 12.7 million tourists travelled to Greece by air last year, up by 10.8% over 2012.
Crete welcomed more tourists than any other destination in the country, with Heraklion and Chania combined receiving more than 3.3 million visitors, according to the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises.
The two main Greek cities, Athens and Thessaloniki, both saw passenger numbers rise.
However, the airport of Kalamata in the southwest Peloponnese recorded the highest increase of 61.3% compared to 2012.
The islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Kefalonia, Kos, Zakynthos and Rhodes also reported double-digit growth.
Cruise passengers to Piraeus, the port for Athens, grew by 11.1% to 2.3 million, according to the Piraeus Port Authority.
Athens’ cruise hub, which already receives 40% of all cruise visitors to Greece, will add a third international terminal in the spring, allowing for smoother handling of the volume of tourists.
The upswing in 2013 came as Marketing Greece, the non-profit initiative of the country’s private tourism industry, prepares to launch consumer website DiscoverGreece.com later this month.
The portal will feature detailed information on more than 110 Greek destinations, 2,000 photographs and more than 50 exclusively produced videos, as well as a booking engine.
Several airlines are introducing new routes from the UK to the Greek mainland and islands in 2014, including British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Aegean Airlines.
Marketing Greece general manager Iossif Parsalis said: “Double-digit growth in tourist arrivals by both air and sea in 2013 is exceptional news for Greece, considering predictions for further growth this year.
“It confirms the enduring attraction of Greece for holidaymakers of all kinds, right through the year.”