A long-standing strong pillar of Greek economy, the tourism industry has withstood the pressures of an acute debt crisis that has hit Greece since 2009 and posted remarkable results last year, offering hope for recovery and growth, according to tourism officials.

"With the proper support of the state, tourism can become a key motor to pull the ailing economy out of the crisis, providing further vital revenues and more job positions in a recession-hit country with negative record high unemployment rates," Spyros Ginis, Vice President of the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises (SETE), told Xinhua in a recent interview at his office in central Athens.

Despite a negative environment, 2011 was one of the best years for Greek tourism in a decade with an average 10 percent increase in terms of arrivals from abroad and revenues compared to 2010, Ginis noted, citing a SETE report.

Greece welcomed some 16.5 million foreign visitors last year, according to estimates of the Greek Statictical Authority, with revenues rising by some 10 percent year-on-year, according to figures of the central bank of Greece, as domestic tourism and respective revenues plunged by some 20 percent.

Ginis, along with other officials, attributed the positive outcome to a string of factors, such as the unrest in North Africa and the tension between Turkey and Israel that diverted tourists to Greece and the partial lifting of visa restrictions for non-EU citizens to lure visitors from new markets, such as Russia and China.