Side effect energy crisis but also the success of the initiatives taken by tourism organizations in the countries of the European South, among which Hellasit’s a new look long-term tourists or a new kind of “immigrants” who settled in our country, in Spain and to Portugal.

By advertising milder winters and a lower cost of living in their countries, tourism organizations and ministers have managed to attract, in addition to tourists, Europeans from the countries of the North who wanted to escape from unsustainable energy costs and harsh winters in their countries for longer periods of time.

In September, the Minister of Tourism of Greece Vasilis Kikilias, visited Austria and other Nordic countries such as Sweden, aiming to “turn this huge energy crisis affecting Europe into an opportunity”. Something similar has been done and achieved by the Portuguese tourism organization, and now it assesses the prospects for winter tourist arrivals as “very positive”. In Spain, after all, the authorities of the Canary Islands, where winter temperatures average 20 degrees Celsius, launched a social media campaign in September to attract winter tourists or even retirees from countries such as the UK, Germany. and Sweden.

A related Reuters report mentions the case of 50-year-old Pole Viktor Varlamov, who left Gdansk, where he lived since 2016, and settled with his wife and daughter in the Canary Islands for two months and plans to stay there for the next months, in short, spend the winter in Spain . Varlamov, who develops software for computers, emphasizes that “we were brought here by the economic crisis and the general situation caused by the war.” As he explains, before leaving Gdansk, he calculated that in Spain he could save 250 euros per month, as this would be the difference in rent, and he would pay 140 euros for utilities and Internet, when in Poland he paid 200 euros per month just for electricity. And, as he gleefully states, whatever money he’s saving now, he spends it on dining out while enjoying walks on the beach. Another case is Natasha Caldeiras from Kent, southern England, who came with her family to Portugal, where her husband is from and has relatives there. As they themselves admit, energy prices forced them to flee south at least for the Christmas period.

Searches for winter homes on the HomeToGo platform increased by 36%.

“It’s no secret that this winter will be full of economic instability in Europe, but in the Canary Islands we want to turn the tide,” says Gaiza Castilla, head of a local tourism agency that describes the islands as a “financial crisis.” shelter.” Data compiled by Reuters from search engine HomeToGo for rentals showed that winter home searches in Greece, Spain and Portugal were up 13%, 36% and 3%, respectively. And, of course, there are stakeholders from the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.

As Gabriel Escarer, managing director of the Spanish hotel chain Melia, points out, Nordic Europeans are looking for apartments and suites for two to three months in winter, and interest from citizens of the Scandinavian countries is especially noticeable.

Also of great interest are visitors from Germany, many of whom are interested in a more permanent settlement as their country has been hit hard by the energy crisis due to its longtime dependence on Russia. And according to the local tourist office, airlines are increasing the number of seats on flights to the Canary Islands by 31%. TUI fly, which operates the most flights from the Canary Islands to Germany and back, announced that it will increase the number of flights by 10%, and in a related statement notes that the cost of energy has a “psychological component”. which pushes people south. However, for most Europeans, settling in southern Europe is still an unattainable dream as the rising cost of living deprives them of the luxury of travel. That’s why they willingly buy things that will help them get through the winter as painlessly as possible and stay warm, such as blankets and electric blankets.