Foreign tourists rush to supermarkets, leaving taverns "with a nose"

Tourists cooking at home, instead of going to taverns, started a “fire” in supermarkets, sweeping everything off the shelves.

As foreign and Greek tourists continue to cut back on their holiday spending, taverna “budgets” are suffering: either because people are staying in all-inclusive hotels, or because they are cooking in the kitchens of homes they have rented through digital short-term rental platforms, or because they are choosing the unhealthy food that is at hand.

According to a study by the Research Institute for Consumer Retailing (IELKA), tourists are choosing self-catering accommodation such as holiday homes over traditional half- or full-board hotels.

“The image of half-empty shelves and refrigerators in a mini-market in a coastal village near Kalamata and queues at the checkout for groceries in Naxos are not accidental,” the market manager comments. In addition, There is growing interest in alternative forms of tourism, such as sailing holidays, where tourists can cook food right on board the ship.

Indeed, in the retail trade in tourist areas, the volume of sales of food and beverages has increased by approximately 6-7% since the end of May. It should be noted that in the island regions alone (including Crete), the volume of sales of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) is estimated at 1.5 billion euros.

AB Vassilopoulos has reportedly opened new stores in Crete (Hersonissos) and Paros, while Diamantis Masoutis continues its expansion in the Aegean and Ionian Seas.

The downward trend in travel spending for foreign visitors began last year and looks set to continue even more strongly this year. In 2023, average capital expenditure (Μέση κατά Κεφαλήν Δαπάνη, ΜΚΔ) fell by 2.3% to €605.8 (according to ΤτΕ). This year, in January-June, when tourist flow increased by 15.5%, average expenditure fell to €570.7.

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