With high occupancy rate, they say goodbye in August island destinations of the country, which this year again, for most of them, a pin did not fall on August 15.
In addition to the traditional island destinations of the South Aegean region, Crete, Rhodes and Corfu, Mykonos, Santorini and the rest they moved with fullness which exceeded 90%, as evidenced by the statements of the organizations questioned by the APE-MPE.
Naxos – Lesser Cyclades: High attendance all summer
“For the month of August, the occupancy rates are very high, with Greeks but also foreigners from Europe, America, Australia and elsewhere giving a vote of confidence to our destinations,” comments the deputy mayor in charge of tourism of the municipality of Naxos and Lesser Cyclades, Vangelis Katsaras.
Ios: August moves with over 90% occupancy
“Even though this year’s conditions are not very favourable, with energy and transport costs now leaving their mark everywhere, August is moving forward with occupancy rates exceeding 90% on several occasions. The effort made by both the Municipality and professionals to modernise services and enrich the tourist “product” with new cultural, sporting events and experiential travel experiences in terms of activities and gastronomy is significant. The goal remains to strengthen public interest before and after August for the temporal diffusion of the benefits of tourism on our beautiful island. Actions and projects such as the opening of the excellent Gaiti Simosi Museum which will take place in September contribute to the desired direction,” added the Mayor of Ieton Gikas Gikas.
Samos: Housing occupancy rate reached 95-100%
Deputy Mayor for Tourism Evangelos Marnezos stressed that “the combination of religious devotion, tradition and the live atmosphere make August 15 in Samos a unique experience. Tourist flows to the island will be satisfactory throughout the month, as well as in September, whose dynamics increase every year. In this sense, we have launched a targeted promotion of the destination in selected markets. The occupancy rate of accommodation has reached 95-100%, with a particularly strong demand. The main markets visiting the destination during this period are traditionally Greece, Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. It is encouraging to see visitors from various markets choosing the destination. The presence of Greek tourists is still strong, but the increase from other markets such as Italy, America and Australia is equally important.
The Mayor of Eastern Samos, Paris Papageorgiou, points out that “according to the travel indicators, it appears that for 2024, Samos is climbing high in the places of travel preferences. For the month of August, given the occupancy rate of the accommodations that reaches 95% – 100%, arrivals are skyrocketing. It is also important to take into account that, according to the data available to date for the period April-August 2024, the arrivals of Turkish visitors in the ports of Vatheos and Pythagorion as well as individual visitors with private boats reached 85,236.
Lipsi: Increase in arrivals in July, August expected with 100% occupancy
“Thanks to the continuous initiatives to protect the natural environment and improve our services, a relationship of trust has been built between the people of Leipsi and the traveling public, which turns our visitors into friends and eventually into regulars who will choose Calypso Island again and again. ! It is important that in an unexplained tourist year with many ups and downs throughout Greece, the people of Leipsos have improved their percentages with an increase in arrivals in July compared to last year, while in August an absolute occupancy rate of 100% is also expected. Our special customs such as the unique feast of Our Lady of Charos on August 23 have given another dynamic, magnetizing the interest of many Greeks as well as foreign tourists,” said the Mayor of Leipsos, Fotis Maggos.
Skopelos: accommodation occupancy rate in August is 85-90%
“2024 is a tourist year that is proving to be full of problems and challenges for both travelers and professionals in the majority of Greek destinations. However, August is traditionally the peak month of tourist traffic in Skopelos, with accommodation occupancy rates expected to reach 85-90%. In addition to Greece, the main markets from which our visitors come during the high season are the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Eastern European countries, Italy, France and Germany,” stressed the Acting Councilor for Tourism of the Municipality of Skopelos, Giorgos Papadavids.
Astypalea: August reaches 100% occupancy
“August will be a month with high traffic. Greek and international travelers prefer the “Butterfly of the Aegean” for refreshing holidays, “green” experiences, swimming on exotic beaches, homemade specialties, hiking in nature, the castle, the villages and above all real hospitality. Occupancy rates for the period around August 15 have reached rates above 99%,” says Deputy Mayor of Astypalaia Municipality Kostas Kampylis.
Andros: 100% occupancy reached on August 15
“High occupancy rates, up to 100%, characterized the tourist traffic of Andros during the period of August 15. Andros is a real holiday destination with exceptional natural beauty, many choices, picturesque villages, emerald waters and good cuisine without the overpriced services seen elsewhere. It is no coincidence that Greeks choose Andros for their holidays, while after systematic promotional actions, the destination arouses the interest of travelers from Italy, Great Britain, Germany, France, America, the Netherlands and Austria,” says the municipal councilor for tourism mandated by the Municipality of Androu, Nikos Moustakas.
How did the country’s road destinations perform?
As for the country’s road destinations, industry bodies have expressed concerns about reduced revenues due to increased operating costs and reduced consumer spending by customers, now limited to essentials.
“The world is going through a difficult time, and we businessmen can see it too. They just close a room and then nothing. Nobody spends money in the catering areas of the pensions, where even the bottled water, the Greek customers bring it from Athens.” This is what the president of the Laconia Hoteliers’ Union, Dimitris Polalis, notes in the APE-MBE, stressing at the same time that at a time when a large traffic in road destinations was expected this year, due to the increase in the cost of ferry tickets, it seems that the Peloponnese has not moved, as he had initially appreciated. On the other hand, in Kythira, not a single pin falls in the rooms, as Mr. Polalis mentions.
Euboea: Edipsos at 80% – July was not what the tourist world expected
On the same wavelength, the president of the Hoteliers Association of Istiaia – Edipsos, Thodoris Roumeliotis, who after speaking to the APE-MPE about a month of August that is progressing with an occupancy rate of 80%, however, underlines that July was not what the hotel world expected, since May and June were better months, he notes. As for the development of tourist traffic, the month of September for the star region of thermal tourism will be marked by a good occupancy rate because there will be significant flows of visitors, with groups, mainly from the Balkan markets. Edipsos and Evia are moving dynamically thanks to social tourism, underlines Mr. Roumeliotis, while at the same time it is clear that there is a problem with the Greek visitor, because he no longer consumes as before.
Karpenisi: People did not choose the mountains for their holidays this year
Sophia Flega, president of the Karpenisi hoteliers, notes exactly the same thing at APE-MBE. Now, Greek guests choose to have one meal a day in hotel restaurants, and not two, as was the case in the past. Regarding the development of tourist traffic in a region with a unique natural environment, Flega points out that July was the worst month she has ever experienced, while August, although there is mobility, is not the best, because people did not “vote” a mountain for this year’s holidays. It is typical that regular visitors from Agrinio and Lamia do not go to Karpenisi this year, Flega notes. Indeed, he criticizes the lack of promotional campaigns for specific destinations, which, as he says, offer alternative actions capable of extracting shares of visitors from island destinations.
Magnesia: August is full but not 100%
The president of the hoteliers of the region, Giorgos Zafeiris, underlines in his intervention at the APE-MPE the lack of visibility and support of the areas of Magnesia affected by the floods. Even as he explains, “the businessmen concerned have not received compensation from the Ministry of Development, while the Ministry of Tourism is also non-existent”, he says. Regarding the development of tourist traffic, he points out that “the month of August in terms of accommodation is full, but not 100%, while the financial problem faced by the Greek visitor is evident”. Regarding the month of September, Mr. Zafeiris notes that there are reservations, the final result to be judged at the end of the season, as he says.