From climate change, the big sporting events of the summer and the unsettled factors that can affect the global tourism industry, the development of this year’s tourism year for Greece and the competing countries. On the occasion of the recent negative development concerning the bankruptcy of the German travel organizer FTI, his comment is typical president of XEE Alexandros Vasilikos who emphasized that tourism proves once again that it does not lend itself to either hyper-optimism or complacency, since from one moment to the next many facts can be overturned.

Although the current unpleasant development does not seem to affect the overall picture that is being formed for 2024 in Greece, nevertheless the more than 160,000 reservations that were planned for this year, with 1/4 of them concerning the two months of April – May, did not is a negligible amount. What is certain, however, is that the remaining Tour Operators have already thrown themselves into battle with the aim of recovering the existing bookings.

G. Tassios: 2024 will also move at the pace of 2023 for Greek tourism

Regarding the messages for the current tourist year, speaking to APE-MPE and the former president of POX Grigoris Tasiosa few days before the development in the FTI, he had emphasized that in 2024 it would move to the levels of 2023. In fact, he spoke of a freeze in the deductions observed during this period, a consequence of the inflationary pressures that European households face.

In fact, Mr. Tassios estimates that the two major sporting events of the summer, the Euro in football but also of the Olympic Games in Paris will have an impact on European household movements this year. It is estimated that many will travel by road near the countries where the games will be held at the expense of air travel with tourist packages. In the meantime, unstable factors related to climate change, it is possible to present disturbances in areas where these will develop and it is everyone’s wish that events like those of Rhodes last year do not repeat themselves.

At this time, Tour Operators are scanning the performance of the regions in Greece and are already rushing to close contracts with hoteliers for 2025, with the aim of achieving low prices, as highlighted. In any case, the next period will shed even more light on the development of tourism to Greece, which so far is moving at higher levels compared to last year.

Air arrivals in Greece increased by 12.3% in the period January-April 2024

Specifically, according to his data INSET, in the period January-April 2024, 3.1 million international air arrivals were recorded, surpassing the levels of January-April 2023, showing an increase of +12.3%. Meanwhile April started with a milder 6% increase, with international air arrivals coming in at 1.5 million. With reference to the regions that starred in the first quarter of the year, all geographical units, with the exception of the Cyclades, moved upwards. In particular, in the geographical unit of Crete, international air arrivals increased by 2.8% compared to last year, reaching 312 thousand.

Only the Cyclades moved with a decrease in arrivals in the four months of 2024

International air arrivals at the airports of Dodecanese reached 208 thousand, marking an increase of 11.3%. In the geographical unity of Ionian islands an increase of 10.4% was recorded while 111 thousand international air arrivals were recorded. In its geographical unity Peloponnese, international air arrivals reached 9 thousand registering an increase of 14.8%. As far as they are concerned Cyclades there were 45 thousand international air arrivals, showing a decrease of 8.7%. Finally, with regard to road arrivals in the period January-April 2024, these were recorded at 1.8 million international road arrivals, compared to 1.7 million in the period January-April 2023, showing an increase of 5.1%.