The island destinations of the country say goodbye in August with high occupancy, and this year, in most of them, no pin fell on August 15th.

In addition to the traditional island destinations in the South Aegean region, the Cretethe Rose and her Corfuthe Mykonosthe Santorini and the rest moved with a fullness that exceeded 90%, as this is reflected in the statements of organizations that spoke to APE-MPE.

Specifically:

Naxos – Small Cyclades: High occupancy throughout the summer

“For August, the occupancy levels are at very high levels with Greeks but also foreigners from Europe, America, Australia and elsewhere giving a vote of confidence to our destinations”, comments the Deputy Mayor for Tourism of the Municipality of Naxos and Small Cyclades, Vangelis Katsaras.

Ios: August moves with over 90% occupancy

“Although this year’s conditions are not very favorable with energy and transport costs now leaving their mark everywhere, August is moving with occupancy rates above 90% at several intervals. The effort made by both the Municipality and the professionals to upgrade services and enrich the tourist “product” with new cultural events, sporting events and experiential travel experiences in terms of activities and gastronomy is important. The goal remains the strengthening of public interest before and after August for the temporal spread of the benefits of tourism on our beautiful island. Actions and projects such as the opening of the excellent Gaiti Simosi Museum that will take place in September contribute to the desired direction”, added the Mayor of Ieton Gikas Gikas.

Samos: Accommodation occupancy has reached 95% to 100%

The Deputy Mayor of Tourism Evangelos Marnezos emphasized that “the combination of religious devotion, tradition and the “live” atmosphere make the 15th of August in Samos a unique experience. The tourist flows on the island will be satisfactory for the whole month, as well as for September, whose momentum grows every year. In this direction, we have launched targeted promotion of the destination in selected markets. Occupancy in accommodation has reached 95% to 100%, with demand particularly high. The main markets visiting the destination during this period traditionally include Greece, Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. It is encouraging to see visitors from a variety of markets choosing the destination. The presence of Greek tourists is always strong, but equally important is the increase from other markets such as Italy, America and Australia”.

The Mayor of Eastern Samos, Paris Papageorgiou, points out that “from the travel indicators, it can be seen that for 2024, Samos is climbing high in the places of travel preferences. For the month of August, given the occupancy of the accommodation which reaches 95% – 100%, arrivals skyrocket. It is equally important to take into account that from the data available to date for the period April – August 2024, the arrivals of Turkish visitors to the ports of Vatheos and Pythagorion as well as individual visitors with private boats reached 85,236.

Lipsi: August is expected to have absolute occupancy of 100%

“Through ongoing initiatives to protect the natural environment and upgrade our services, a relationship of trust has been built between the people of Leipsi and the traveling public that turns our visitors into friends and eventually into repeaters who will choose the island of Calypso again and again ! It is important that in an unexplained tourist year with many ups and downs throughout Greece, the people of Leipsos improved their rates with an increase in arrivals in July compared to last year, while August is also expected to have absolute occupancy of 100%. Our special customs such as the unique feast of Panagia tou Haros on August 23 gave another dynamic, magnetizing the interest of many Greeks as well as foreign tourists”, said the Mayor of Leipsos, Fotis Maggos.

Skopelos: August has 85-90% accommodation occupancy

“2024 is a tourism 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 of tourist traffic in Skopelos, with accommodation occupancy expected to reach 85-90%. In addition to Greece, the main markets from which our visitors come during the high season include the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Eastern European countries, Italy, France and Germany,” emphasized the Acting Municipal Councilor for Tourism of the Municipality of Skopelos Giorgos Papadavids.

Astypalea: August reaches 100% occupancy

“August will be a month with high traffic levels. Greek as well as international travelers prefer the “Butterfly of the Aegean” for refreshing holidays, “green” experiences, swimming in exotic beaches, homemade delicacies, hiking in nature, the castle, the villages and above all a genuine hospitality. Occupancies for the period around the fifteenth of August moved to rates of over 99%”, states the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Astypalaia, Kostas Kampylis.

Andros: 100% occupancy achieved on August 15th

“High occupancy rates of up to 100% characterized the tourist traffic of Andros for the period of the Fifteenth of August. Andros is a true holiday destination with outstanding natural beauty, many choices, picturesque villages, emerald waters and good food without the overpriced services seen elsewhere. It is no coincidence that the Greeks choose Andros for their holidays, while after systematic promotion actions the destination attracts travel interest from Italy, Great Britain, Germany, France, America, the Netherlands and Austria” says the mandated Municipal Tourism Councilor of the Municipality Androu, Nikos Moustakas.

How did the country’s road destinations fare?

As far as the country’s road destinations are concerned, industry bodies have expressed their concerns about the gnawing away of their revenues from the increase in operating costs and the reduction in consumer spending by customers, who are now limited to the essentials.

“The world is having a hard time, and we businessmen can see that too. They just close a room and then nothing. No one spends money in the catering areas of the guesthouses, where even the bottled water, the Greek customers bring it from Athens”. This is what the president of the Hoteliers’ Union of Laconia, Dimitris Polalis, notes in APE-MBE, underlining at the same time that at the moment when a lot of traffic was expected in the road destinations this year, due to the increase in the transportation cost of the ferry tickets, in the end it seems that the Peloponnese did not move, as it had initially appreciated. On the other hand, in Kythira, not a single pin drops in the rooms, as Mr. Polalis mentions.

Evia: At 80% occupancy in Edipsos – July was not what the tourist world expected

On the same wavelength and the president of the Association of Hoteliers of Istiaia – Edipsos, Thodoris Roumeliotis, who after speaking to APE-MPE about an August that moves with occupancy at 80%, however emphasizes that July was not what the hotel world expected, since May and June were better months, he notes. As far as the development of tourist traffic is concerned, September for the region that is the star in spa tourism, will move with good occupancy since there will be significant flows of visitors, with groups, mainly from the Balkan markets. Edipsos as well as Evia is moving dynamically due to social tourism, emphasizes Mr. Roumeliotis, while at the same time it is clear that there is a problem with the Greek visitor, since he is not consuming as he used to in the past.

Karpenisi: People did not choose a mountain for their holidays this year

Sophia Flega, president of the hoteliers in Karpenisi, observes exactly the same thing in APE-MBE. Now Greek customers 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 an area where the natural environment is unique, Mrs. Flega notes that July was the worst she has ever had, while August, while it has mobility, is not at its best, as the people did not “vote” a mountain for this year’s vacation. It is typical that repeat visitors from Agrinio and Lamia did not go to Karpenisi this year, notes Mrs. Flega. In fact, he criticizes the lack of campaign promotion of the specific destinations, which, as he says, offer alternative actions capable of extracting shares of visitors from the island destinations.

Magnesia: August is full but not 100%

The president of the region’s hoteliers, Giorgos Zafeiris, focuses on the lack of visibility and support of the areas of Magnesia affected by the floods in his intervention at APE-MPE. Even as he explains, “the affected businessmen have not received compensation from the Ministry of Development, while the Ministry of Tourism is also non-existent”, as he says. With regard to the development of tourist traffic, he underlines that “August in accommodation is full, but not 100%, while the financial problem faced by the Greek visitor is obvious”. Regarding September, Mr. Zafeiris notes that there are reservations, with the final result to be judged at the end of the season, as he says.