As August approaches, Greece’s tourism industry faces the rest of the summer with optimism, with most destinations already boasting a 90 per cent reservation capacity in spite of the recent wildfires. Concerns about the recent blaze in Rhodes, Corfu, Evia and its potential impact on this year’s tourism are being met with reassurance from Lysandros Tsilidis, the president of the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies.
He asserted that the summer season, especially in August, will not face any major disruptions in tourist arrivals to Greece, AMNA reported.
“These days, all destinations will perform well, especially in August,” Tsilidis stated, adding that time will help overcome any challenges that may have arisen.
With competing destinations across Greece experiencing peak tourist seasons, changing vacation plans to other places will be challenging for travelers who have already planned trips to Greece.
In the coming week, Greek travel agencies will have an extraordinary meeting with the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations to be updated on the current conditions.
Addressing concerns about how tourist agencies have handled the situation in Rhodes, Tsilidis stressed that travel agencies are diligently working to meet the needs of tourists and have not abandoned any customers.
Among the island destinations that are leading in tourist flows, Crete stands out once again as the driving force behind Greek tourism.
The president of the Hoteliers’ Union of Crete, Manolis Tsakalakis, predicts approximately 6 million arrivals this year, representing a 10 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, Mykonos and Santorini continue to enjoy consistent popularity worldwide, according to surveys conducted by MTC GROUP.
In terms of occupancy rates, several islands are experiencing high demand, with Lipsi, Samos, Lesvos, Ios, Skopelos, Astypalaia, Andros, Kalymnos, Sifnos, Karpathos, Paros, and Naxos all reaching over 90 per cent capacity for August.
