Foreign tourism in Greece led to a four billion euro revenue during the first half of 2014, a significant increase of 13.4% (464 million euros) compared to the same period in 2013. According to data released by the Bank of Greece (BoG), the revenue from British and French tourists visiting Greece, showed a 40.2% and 21.3% increase respectively. Furthermore, American tourists spend the most, on average, on basic necessities when they are visiting Greece. It was estimated that Americans spend an average of 1,131 euros, followed by Russians with 907 euros, Germans with 823 euros, Brits with 751 euros and the French with 694 euros. Germans spent more money, compared to tourists from other countries, during the first half of 2014. Overall, they spent 588 million euros, an increase of 2.9% compared to the same period last year. The British spent 522.6 million euros, Russians 347.1 million euros (2.5% decrease), Americans 229.4 million euros (15.8% increase) and the French spent 286.8 million euros. According to Katimerini newspaper, the tourism balance during the first half of 2014 showed a surplus of 2.91 billion euros, a 12.6% increase in comparison to the 2.59 billion surplus of 2013. This is mostly due to the large increase in tourist revenue, in comparison to the increase in travel expenses of Greeks abroad.
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