Greece: tourism like in 2019

Active booking of places in hotels and air tickets sets a high pace for the growth of tourism in Greece. This season, after a very satisfactory performance for Easter, Greece expects an influx of tourists almost like in 2019.

A dynamic recovery in tourism is expected to levels very close to 2019, the last year before the pandemic, when the country’s revenues amounted to 18 billion euros and 31 million tourist arrivals.

The war in Ukraine seems to have ceased to influence the mood of Europeans and Americans to buy tours and travel, and booking airline tickets with large companies shows that citizens are absolutely ready to have a good summer season.

Data from the European Tourism Commission (ETC) shows that the sector’s confidence index is reaching a new high, with 3 out of 4 Europeans planning to travel before September. The recovery of tourism is evidenced by data from the European Aviation Safety Agency (Eurocontrol), which for the period up to May 29 show that in Greece the rate of flights is stable and is above 90% (from 2019).

The current average hotel booking rate is estimated at 50%, reports cathimerini.gr. Also, short-term rental contracts (such as AirBnB) are becoming increasingly strong competitors for hotels.

Visitors from Germany, France and the USA dominate the arrivals in our country, while the average cost per visit is quite high. As for the prospects for destinations outside of Attica, according to INSETE, arrivals are generally developing very satisfactorily, with 14 regional airports recording an increase in arrivals compared to 2019 since the start of the season. The number of seats planned for regional airports for the upcoming summer season has also increased.

The estimate that tourism will recover almost 100% of its 2019 performance this summer is confirmed by an update from Fritz Jussen, CEO of TUI AG, the group that has the largest share of organized travel in Greece.

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