Much increased interest in bookings, to the point that several regions of the country are already sold-out, says Deputy Minister of Tourism Sofia Zaharakis
Greeks will travel to “traditional” Christmas Greek destinations during the Christmas, New Year and Lights holidays, recalling days before the pandemic, regarding the fullness of these areas. In fact, as the Deputy Minister of Tourism notes to the Athenian Macedonian News Agency Sophia Zaharaki, “winter destinations – and not only – are preparing days now for their guests”.
S. Zaharakis: “Sold out” several regions of the country
“The reasonable anxiety about the possible effect of the economic pressure on the Greeks’ plans for vacations, was followed by the satisfaction for the greatly increased interest in bookings, to the point that several areas of the country are already sold-out”, as stated by Mrs. Zacharaki. The picture is completed by the intense tourist traffic in the cities as well as full flights for the majority of destinations in Greece. Crowds of people travel to our country’s Christmas theme parks while our ski resorts prepare for the season which we hope will have the quantity and quality of last year’s snowfall, adds the Deputy Minister of Tourism.
During this year’s holidays, an undeniable trend is the desire of travelers to indulge in alternative activities, thus accompanying their stay in the different parts of our country, according to Mrs. Zaharaki. The aim of the Ministry of Tourism is during the holidays and immediately afterwards to increase the absorption of existing vouchers from the “Tourism for All” program since they can be used without any restrictions at any accommodation in Greece. With immediate payment of the entrepreneur and complete elimination of bureaucracy, as emphasized in this regard, with Mrs. Zacharaki underlining: “We believe in Greece of the 12 seasons and we will continue to strengthen infrastructure and its promotion throughout the year.”
Greeks will travel to virtually all winter destinations in Greece
Regarding the destinations that Greeks will travel to, the president of the Federation of Travel Agencies (FedHatta) Lysandros Tsilidis points out to APE-MPE that the Greeks will move essentially to all winter destinations and in particular to Zagorochoria, Tzoumerka, Tria Pente Pigadia, Drama, Trikala, Seli, Lake Plastira, Meteora, Pelion, Pertouli and Fir.
At the same time, Arachova will have its place of honor in Central Greece, where occupancy is already at its zenith and finding accommodation at the last minute difficult. As far as the Peloponnese is concerned, its mountainous regions, such as Taygetos and Parnonas, will move with very high occupancy, while Monemvasia, in turn, has for days now reached the limit of its occupancy.
Greeks also go to Rovaniemi and Dubai
In the meantime, Mr. Tsilidis informs us that a significant portion of Greek travelers will travel outside of Greece. Specifically, Rovaniemi for one more year will become a pole of attraction for Greek travelers, as well as Paris, London, Vienna, Munich, Budapest, Sofia, Belgrade, Rome and Florence. At this point it is emphasized that every year the tourist packages issued by the tourist offices in Greece exceed 500,000, according to Mr. Tsilidis. The majority of these tourist packages obviously concern the summer period, but those concerning this year’s festive period are not negligible. Especially for the European destinations, several thousand tourist packages are calculated.
In addition to the above popular destinations, some dozens of Greek travelers, who did not take vacations in the summer, will move to Dubai, Morocco, Arab Emirates, Turkey, India, Latin America, Canada and America. In any case, as Mr. Tsilidis mentions, the largest urban centers of the country, Athens and Thessaloniki, will be crowded with both Greeks and Israelis, as the nightlife seems to have developed into a separate tourist product.
It is recalled that in his recent intervention at APE-MBE, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers Grigoris Tasios he had spoken of a very strong fortnight, a result of the voucher that will be given for winter tourism. Mr. Tassios is worried about the period after the holidays, since he points out that the next festive period is coming in March, with all that this implies for the viability of the hotel units. “At the end of 2022 we have a very good year that seems to be reaching the numbers of 2019, but we have a very difficult winter ahead of us, as 1,500 hotel businesses are anxious for the next day and especially those that operate in the mountainous massif and in mainland Greece” .
The Chalets and the outdoor areas are open for the visitors of the Parnassos Ski Center
The Ski Center of Parnassos opened on Friday, December 23rd for visitors, although according to the weather conditions it is not expected that skiing will be possible in the following days. However, mountain lovers can visit the Chalets of the largest ski resort in Greece to admire the unique natural landscape of Parnassos, use the state-of-the-art lifts for a panoramic ride and enjoy a hot drink or food in one of the many areas focus, making the experience warmer in the winter landscape.
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