NOTIO AIGAIO - Economy
A dynamic tourist industry
The region's agricultural sector plays a relatively minor part in the economy (6.2% of the gross value added). The main crops in terms of area are grain cereals, permanent crops, fodder crops and vines.
Rhodes is the only island of Dodecanese with significant industrial production, while in the Cyclades there is considerable mining activity. Manufacturing in the region includes tourism-related activities such as ceramics, pottery, carpet making, etc., the food, drink and clothing sectors, and the processing of agricultural products.
It is the tertiary sector (particularly tourism and the distributive trades), which was vigorous, and constantly expanding (its share in the gross value added of the region was 86% in 2000). Tourism contributes millions of dollars a year to the economy, and provides employment for thousands of people.
Because of the region's frontier situation, military personnel make up a large proportion of the civil servants and push up labour costs in the tertiary sector.
In 1999, the Southern Aegean region accounted for 8% of Greek expenditure on research and development. About 43% of the research and development expenditures came from the higher education sector, 30% from the business enterprise sector and 28% from the government sector.
If information is available, please add comments on the following subjects:
- Productivity, competitiveness, imports/exports/foreign investments
- Restructuring, conversion, privatization (policy, state of progress, etc.)
- Transport sector: number of vehicles and road network, railways, airports, waterways/sea
|
|