This will prove to be an elusive dream in 2025 as well the holidays of the Greeks on the islands of Mykonos and Santorini.
The factors of the tourism market predict that the summer of 2025 will also be “ban” for Greek travelers and this is because the demand from abroad is expected to be explosive and in some destinations on the island it exceeds this, while the accuracy also remains good. .
According to data compiled by established trade broker brand Ozios, Greece is set to reach its highest volume this year. Next year, however, there are some doubts about further momentum as regulatory measures are set to be implemented.
The islands
We can expect, Ozios reports, that Greece will continue its popularity in the next summer season of 2025. We already know that the Greek government, as well as the local authorities, have approved the some strict measures aimed at reducing the risk of overtourism in the country.
Athens, for example, has banned new permits for short-term rentals in three districts in the center of the Greek capital from January 1, 2025. This measure will apply for at least one year and will also increase the tax on vacation rentals.
“We found that short-term rentals operate to a large extent like hotels, while at the same time putting significant pressure on society,” said Tourism Minister Olga
In addition to licensing restrictions and tax increases on short-term rentals, Greece also applies a €20 tax for cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during peak season. summer months. This measure will remain in place next year as well, as stated by Mrs. Kefalogianni.
All these measures are expected to lead to price increases in the affected destinations. In addition, we can expect similar measures to be implemented in other destinations, if they prove to be effective in combating overtourism.
The tourists
In the first seven months of 2024, Greece received 14.4 million international air passengers, an impressive 8.2% increase compared to the same period in 2023, which corresponds to an additional 1.1 million visitors . In total in 2024, Greece can register a record number of visitors, which is close to 35 million, the highest number of visitors ever recorded. The total income from tourism can reach 22 billion euros. From 2025, the country will implement measures to deal with overtourism.
From the enchanting islands of the Aegean to the busy streets of central Athens, Greece is expecting an increase in visitors, announcing another record year and strengthening its ranking as one of the top 10 tourist destination in the world.
Extended season beyond the summer months
Crete leads the Greek islands, attracting 2.9 million international air travelers, an increase of 6.7%, or 182,000 more visitors compared to last year. The Dodecanese also showed remarkable growth, where arrivals increased by 11.4%, reaching a total of 2.4 million.
Greece, for decades, relied on the tourist season of May-October, but this season has been extended. However, the high influx of summer visitors puts a strain on the popular islands, which face problems such as water scarcity. “Our first flight arrived this year on April 1 – the first in the history of the island,” said the mayor of Skiathos, Thodoris Tzoumas. on the National Herald website referring to visitors arriving earlier than before, most of them choosing to avoid the summer crowds
“The island’s tourist season usually ends at the beginning of October, but this year easyJet has committed to continuing flights until the end of the month, offering guests the opportunity to discover our island at a time when it is usually almost deserted, so they can enjoy the beauty of our hiking trails and cultural treasures without crowds,” he added
“Many stakeholders such as travel agents, airlines, hoteliers and restaurant owners have come together to take advantage of this opportunity. The result is expected to improve tourism flows and ensure a more sustainable model which will benefit everyone,” concluded Tzoumas.
The tourist “explosion” in Greece
While we don’t yet have exact numbers for the entire 2024 season, the numbers from the first seven months of this year offer useful clues. The increase in international air travel is accompanied by a significant increase in road arrivals in Greece, which amounted to 6.3 million from January to July 2024. This represents an increase of 13.8%, with 762,000 which additional guests, according to using the Greekcitytimes.com portal.
The most notable growth rates came from Bulgaria (16.4%), Turkey (38.4%) and North Macedonia (11.0%), although arrivals from Albania fell slightly to 1.7%.
Tourism spending followed an upward trend, increasing by 12.2% to € 6.921 billion in the first half of 2024. This growth was mainly driven by EU visitors, whose spending increased by 14.8%, while visitors from outside the EU increased their spending by 8.4%. German tourists led the way in spending, spending €1.223 billion (+7.4%), followed by UK visitors, who contributed €1.009 billion (+19.9%). Spending by American travelers increased by a modest 1.0% to €540 million.
Prices, local population, hypertourism
Greece has emerged as one of the most attractive destinations for summer holidays in Europe. When tourists choose their summer vacation destination, the main factors they consider are price, service quality, destination safety, local cultural experiences, and the relationship between locals and guest.
For the 2024 season, the prices of holiday packages in the EU increased by 6.6% on average, in Greece by 7.5%, while a package holiday in Turkey is now almost 50% more expensive from 2023. Due to global inflation, it is more difficult to get a clear picture of price levels of different holiday destinations.
From a long-term perspective, Greece is one of the cheapest vacation destinations in the Mediterranean countries. For example, in 2023, the average price of a seven-day family holiday package in August will be around €1,300 per person, an amount equal to the price of the same package in Portugal and slightly higher compared to Spain (€1,104) and Turkey (1,182 euros). In contrast, the same package in Cyprus costs 1,375 euros, according to the BBC.
According to the Ozios review, price is not the main factor in choosing a holiday destination in the EU Tourists avoid spending their summer holidays in a destination where the locals do not welcome them or in a place where the quality of service is disappointing. As shown in a recent survey by the Data Appeal Company, Greece has emerged as the most popular destination for the summer of 2024, based on a comparison of travel packages, flights and hotels.
On the other hand, the popularity of a destination also brings risks. Spain experienced this phenomenon, with many protests against hypertourism in early August 2024. Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of the most popular areas of the country, from Malaga and Mallorca to Gran Canary Islands and Granada.
Peter DeBrine, UNESCO’s senior project manager for sustainable tourism, warned that protests against hypertourism could spread to countries other than Spain. “What we have noticed is that we have breached a threshold of approval in these destinations. We are really trying to restore the balance, but the situation is completely out of control at the moment.” he told the Guardian.