At levels expected to be historic highs, tourist traffic during Easter, even higher than pre-pandemic levels. Completeness in hotels which will be open from Holy Week is moving more than 90%, and in some cases even close to 100%, depending on the destination.

In the same time, shipping based on ticket sales so far shows a sharp increase compared to 2020 and more than 90% occupancy of regular ships. Perhaps tellingly, Greece’s largest shipping company, Attica Group, launched an additional 1,700-passenger vessel this year to meet demand for translations to island destinations.

At the same time, according to the European Organization for Aviation Safety (Eurocontrol), in April the number of flights to Greece is expected to increase by 10-15% compared to last year. flights of the corresponding month of 2019, the last before the pandemic.

The coincidence of Catholic and Orthodox Easter also contributes significantly to the increase in air activity in Greece over the next ten days this year. In particular, Catholic Easter precedes Orthodox Easter by exactly one week, which creates conditions for an increase in passenger traffic both from Greeks returning to rest in their country, and, of course, from foreign travelers, as well as from Greeks traveling abroad for the holidays of this period, the aviation industry. sources specify. The number of scheduled flights at Athens International Airport has been increased, with approximately 1,190 aircraft expected to arrive at 14 regional airports between Good Wednesday and Easter Monday. However, the occupancy rate of the planned aircraft has yet to be clarified, the same sources say. Aegean circles are talking about a strong momentum that has already become noticeable in the first quarter, and which is now supported both by the timing of the Catholic and Orthodox Easter, and by the wider willingness of citizens to travel.

Attica Group is adding another vessel with a capacity of 1,700 passengers to meet demand.

In addition, the ferry season is now starting with both seasonal and special services to meet the demand for passenger traffic as well as trucks supplying the islands. Traffic to the Cyclades, which is staggered from Good Wednesday to Good Friday, shows occupancy close to 100%, while no cabins are available for more distant destinations such as the North Aegean and routes, according to Attica Group. to Rhodes. . The occupancy of single places on these more distant routes has already reached 80-90% since the day before yesterday. The ships are now free sailing this year from protocols that limit the number of passengers they can carry, which have been in place for much of the previous three years.

A very good start to the summer season

According to the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers, all traditional destinations during the Easter holiday period are showing increased levels of bookings. In fact, the federation is talking about an increase in hotel occupancy as Holy Week approaches, which will also be supported by last-minute bookings, both in the mountainous, coastal and island regions of the country.

Occupancy is expected to be between 70% and 90% in open hotels in most Easter destinations, and in some cases even as high as 100%, according to the relevant federation statement. However, it is clarified that not all hotels will reopen, and in particular the number of seasonal businesses that will reopen during Holy Week remains small compared to the total number of accommodation facilities in the country. It is expected that it will reach about 30%, that is, about 3,000 hotels. In Crete, South Aegean and Halkidiki, most hotel businesses are expected to reopen after Easter and before early May.

The most popular destinations from Good Friday to Easter Monday are Corfu, Hydra, Peloponnese, Ioannina, Patmos, Loutra Edipsos, Kavala, Thassos, Pelion, Santorini (where, according to the federation, 50% of hotels will open) and Mykonos.

“The tourist flow in the Easter season is returning to normal levels for the season and is the first “warm-up” before the upcoming summer season 2023.

Bookings in major markets are at pre-pandemic levels, meaning that, barring unforeseen circumstances, we are heading towards a good start to May in terms of tourist arrivals and occupancy. We are optimistic that this year we will achieve at least the performance of 2019, which was the best year for Greek tourism,” said Grigoris Tassios, President of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers.

The best performances were recorded with “five stars”

Luxury summer hotels recorded a significant increase in turnover compared to pre-pandemic levels, in contrast to lower-category properties, which saw a decline in turnover.

In particular, the turnover of Greek hotels in 2022 amounted to 8.622 billion euros, an increase of 2.4% compared to 2019. open for summer season. In addition, in hotels of the highest category, 4 and 5 stars, sales increased by 13.1%, to 6.65 billion, and in the lower categories, from 1 to 3 stars, a decrease in sales by 22.3% was recorded, to 1.972 billion. confirms two trends that characterize the country’s tourism activity after the pandemic: the main product of Greek tourism remains the sea, while the demand for luxury housing is high. The above data is obtained from the annual study of the Institute for Tourism Research and Forecasting (ITEP) of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCL).

Among the results of the study, the fact that the average occupancy in August 2022 slightly exceeded the average occupancy in the corresponding month of 2019 stands out: 88% and 86.8%, respectively. Last August, one of the four double rooms was available for up to 70 euros, the other two of the four hotel rooms cost between 70 and 178 euros, and the last room of four was available for more than 178 euros. Euro. Thus, the average sale price of a double room in August was 150 euros. This year we should expect prices to rise, as hotels that have signed contracts with tour operators 85% signed up for 2023, with prices up 11.4% on average.

Continuously operating hotels, i.e. those that remain open all 12 months and are mainly city hotels, are inferior to seasonally operating hotels in all key indicators (occupancy, prices, etc.), which leads to a drop in their turnover by 21 .2% compared to 2019. .

The same study shows that, despite widespread awareness in the markets from which Greek tourism attracts customers about the need to protect the environment, only 18% of total hotel investments in 2022 were related to investments in sustainable development. According to ITEP, annual investments in repairs, renovations and maintenance last year amounted to 621.2 million, which corresponds to 7% of hotel turnover and is clearly below the 986.6 million spent in 2019.

It is also worth noting that according to 2023 data, one in three hotel customers make online bookings through online travel agents (OTA).