The president of the Union of Estate and Catering Owners G. Aggelopoulos, shared on Wednesday that the Greek event and catering business has suffered a 50 pct drop in its turnover in the last few years, due to the economic crisis.
According to him, the industry was in full growth just before the crisis erupted. He noted that in the last few years it has suffered a 35-40 pct drop in event numbers, a 30 pct decline in guest numbers and a 50 pct drop in turnover. He stressed that one of the biggest problems facing the Union as the existence of illegal estates and noted that the Union has asked municipal authorities to look into the legality of their operations.
Aggelopoulos said a decision by the government to cut social insurance contributions by 1.5 pct, with a provision for another 3.0 pct cut from July was a positive step but not adequate to offer a relief to the industry. He stressed that Greece lagged by around seven points in social insurance contributions compared with the EU average.