09:52

An update on Greece now, where it is hoped record tourism will provide a boost to the crisis-hit economy. The Guardian’s Helena Smith reports:

Greece’s largest carrier, Aegean Airlines, has reported a rise in passenger numbers despite a drop in profits. The record numbers visiting Greece were reflected in the airline’s figures, which showed that passengers grew 7% in 2016 to 12.5 million.

Despite the airline posting a 53% drop in net profit – mainly because of higher VAT offsetting a rise in sales - the carrier’s load factor also increased by 0.6 percentage points to 77.4 percent.

Hydra harbour, Greece

An unprecedented 30 million foreign tourists – almost three times the entire Greek population – are likely to visit the country this year. “We are expecting an exceptional year for tourism,” Dimitris Tsiodras, spokesman of the centrist Potami party told the Guardian. “Hellenic bankers were just telling us that they expect tourism to play a significant role in stabilising the economy. It is the bright light on the horizon.”

In Syntagma square, overlooking the Greek parliament, kiosk owners were echoing that view this morning. “In the coming weeks the tourist season will begin and we can’t wait!” said Pavlos Yiannopoulos as he hung newspapers from a rack. “We need to become the Florida of Europe. After all these years of recession, it is our only hope.”

Tourism employs one in five Greeks in a nation where the jobless rate among the under 25’s is over 50 percent.