Greek tourist arrivals down 7.3 pct Jan-April-ITEP

The number of tourists arriving at Greek airports fell 7.3 percent in the first four months of the year as the global financial crisis hit the country's key tourism sector, an industry body said on Monday.

Greece's Touristic Research Institute (ITEP) said the data were better than expected, but some destinations such as the Aegean island of Santorini were badly hit with arrivals down nearly 70 percent year-on-year for the January-April period.

"The consequences of the international financial crisis are now evident in the tourism sector statistic data," ITEP said in a quarterly report.

Tourism accounts for nearly a fifth of Greece's GDP.

It is one of the main drivers of the 250 billion euro ($356 billion) economy, which may face recession after years of robust growth, as the crisis hits key sectors including shipping and construction.

Greece saw its worst riots in decades in December, sparked by the police shooting of a teenager in Athens and fed by anger over political scandals, high youth unemployment, low wages and the impact of the global recession.

ITEP said about 1.16 million tourists visited Greece between January and April, versus 1.25 million a year earlier, while the number of foreign visitors increased by 8.7 percent year-on-year in April, thanks to Easter holidays.

ITEP said airport arrivals account for most arrivals from abroad