After two years pandemic and restrictions on travel and transport, the expectations of all those involved in the “heavy industry” of the country this season were to get as close as possible to the “golden” figures of 2019.

Already from the beginning of the summer, it seemed that the story was developing very well. And in August, which for most Greeks is also traditionally a holiday month, it seems that the mobility of domestic and foreign tourists is at its highest, which is expressed in the presence of people in ports and airports.

As we wrote a few days ago for guests from abroadin July, in 14 regional airports: “Inbound passenger traffic was 5.127 million passengers compared to 4.49 million in the corresponding month of 2019. These figures represent a new record for arrivals at specific airports, with an increase corresponding to a percentage of 13.9%. As the 14 regional airports cover all major summer tourist destinations, it is clear that the dynamic recovery of Greek tourism is going strong.”

At the same time, according to the booking system of the companies, on Friday 12/08, 26,897 passengers departed from the port of Piraeus with destinations for the Cyclades, Crete, Rhodes and the northern Aegean. On Saturday, August 13, 31,556 passengers left the port of Piraeus for the same destinations, and on Sunday, August 14, 20,519 passengers left. The Argo-Saronic Islands “capitalized” another 25,000 passengers. In total, more than 100,000 people left the port of Piraeus alone and only in the last three days for the island direction..

“The season this year will definitely be better than in 2021, and in many ways it will even surpass 2019,” says K. Grigoris TassiosPresident of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers and adds: “We are in August with 100% load in many parts of the country. The country’s revenues seem to be satisfactory this summer – tourism is helping and helping the economy survive.”

Of course, he notes that for entrepreneurs in this sector, the picture is not entirely rosy. As he explains: “We have a large increase in operating costs in hotels, at least 30% per room per night, so few businesses will show profitability next October. But let’s focus on the big picture, and that’s how the country has earned the trust of international tourists, both Europeans and Americans, as one of the top Mediterranean destinations.. The arrival from the US is really impressive.”

“The Greeks chose the islands adjacent to Athens – not only the Argosaronic Islands – but also the nearby Cyclades.Mr Tasios also tells us and adds:The Greek presence is also strong in the Peloponnese, in central Greece and in the June Islands.. Especially in the latter, leading among them Lefkada, which can be reached by road, they get a lot of Greeks because of the cheap ferry tickets. The same happens with the Sporades because of the cheaper tickets from Volos or Evia.

The “Tourism for All” and “Social Tourism” programs have significantly increased domestic traffic. Mobility has been recorded in North Evia, North Aegean, Chios and Samos.”

Mr. Tassios also notes an increase in road tourism for Greeks, especially in recent days when gasoline prices are falling. As he says: “Combined with a fuel pass, 2 continental destinations by the sea have become very popular. Let’s say, of course, that the Greeks do not run away for more than 5 nights this year.

Athens is full too

Perhaps this is one of the few years when, as its inhabitants note, the capital was not empty. This happens both because some of the residents did not have time to leave in the end, and because some have already returned, and, of course, there are many foreign tourists. In this way, the city remains – proportionately – “active”.

“Athens has attracted a lot of foreign tourists this year,” Mr. Tassios tells us, adding: “On average, their stay in the capital is three days. They then travel to the islands either by boat or by air. These days hotels on the Athenian Riviera have high occupancy rates. In a nutshell, both for Athens and for the whole country, this year is the year of the tourist return.”

The above picture is also confirmed by the President of the hoteliers of Attica, Alexander Vasilikos: “Tourism in Athens was difficult last year in the winter, it was difficult in the first months of the season, but at the moment we are seeing very high demand. As for what this means in terms of turnover, we will have to wait for the figures in the fall, but it goes without saying that there is strong demand in Athens this summer.”