Cruise Holiday Bookings by Greeks Increased 52% in 2016

Internationally speaking, Greeks may not account for much of the traffic during the summer holiday season at sea on cruise ships, but it does appear that they are increasingly opting for a cruise holiday in the Aegean and Mediterranean.

According to ekathimerini.com, for the most part, Greek holiday makers are taking more cruises than in previous times, however, some 91 percent of Greeks prefer to take a cruise in their home waters of the Aegean or Mediterranean.

The publishing by the Greek online newspaper says that in 2016 the amount of Greeks taking cruise holidays increased by 52 percent year-to-date from 2015, reaching a total of 24,180 cruise ship passengers.

- See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/03/16/cruise-holiday-bookings-by-greeks-increased-52-in-2016/#sthash.xYOkHi2Q.dpuf

Record bookings by Russian tourists to Greece

The data shows a 400% rise in early bookings for Greece and Cyprus

According to the Association of the Tour Operators of Russia (ATR), bookings to Greece are 4 to 5 times higher than last season. The data showed that bookings to Greece have started at an earlier stage compared to the past, with Russian tour agencies urging holidaymakers to book as early as possible for Greece and Cyprus in order to not miss out, as demand has reached high levels. Tourist agency Mouzenidis Travel, which presented the data on ATOR’s website, noted that there has been a 400% rise in early bookings from Russia to Greece for the upcoming summer season. The travel agency attributes the massive rise to marketing events it organised in the Russian tourist market aimed at promoting Greece as a holiday destination. Another agency, ICS Travel reached similar conclusions, stressing that early bookings for Greece had already started by the end of January and that the rise was five-fold, adding that a key factor was also the special discount packages offered by Greek hotel owners that were as much as 15%. KMP-Group also underlines that a wide range of offers made by Greek hotels, like free meals, free stays for children or free transport resulted in a larger number of bookings. Another factor that played a role in a rise in bookings, according to Russkii Express, was the fall of the Euro in comparison to the ruble. Mouzenidis Travel estimates that the increase in bookings was influenced by both internal and external factors. Meanwhile, according to Mouzenidis Travel an increasing number of Russian families are choosing to extend their vacations in Greece for over three weeks.
THEMA.GR 

SETE Aims to Make Greece One of the World’s Top 10 Tourism Destinations .

Andreadis: SETE Aims to Make Greece 

By

 A. Makris

 -

Greece’s largest tourism business association (SETE) aims to make the country one of the top 10 tourist destinations worldwide, its chief Andreas Andreadis said on Friday at the Delphi Economic Forum, taking place at European Cultural Centre of Delphi.

“SETE has submitted a road map for the Greece of 2021 to all relevant authorities so that the number of visitors to our country can reach 35 million and revenues 19 to 20 billion euros,” he said at the event.

Asked if tourist arrivals would increase if the country left the eurozone, Andreadis said it would be a “disaster” and described this view as “silly”.

“If Greece returns to the drachma we will have millions of tourists but Greeks will be [living] in a ghetto, behind a wall that will separate them from the tourist areas, in the logic of the Caribbean. It would be an absolute disaster,” he stressed. “Our aim is for visitors and locals to live well together.”

He also rejected the view that the bailout programs are responsible for the situation the country is in and said that the problem is the lack of a national plan, the vision.

“Whoever thinks the memorandums are to blame for the situation we’re in is deluding his or herself. The memorandums must be implemented to put things in some kind of order,” he said, adding that the country needs to look towards the future.

Growth and prosperity will come when Greeks form a vision for tomorrow, he said, adding that the successful implementation of this vision is “in our DNA”.

The head of SETE also estimated growth will come from the service sector, noting tourism will help other sectors recover, such as real estate, agricultural production, transport, energy etc.

“Greece will not be saved with the third, fourth or tenth memorandum. It will be saved with a vision,” he added.
(source: ana-mpa)

- See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/03/04/andreadis-sete-aims-to-make-greece-one-of-the-%ce%85worlds-top-10-tourism-destinations/#sthash.vv5uFhj9.dpuf

Greece the Second Top Choice for German Tourists

The World’s Leading Travel Trade Show ITB will open its doors on March 9 in Berlin with the participation of 10,000 exhibitors from 180 countries around the world.

Greece is the second top choice for German tourists after the Balearic Islands. Honored country this year is Botswana.

The first signs for the Greek tourism sector are very positive this year as bookings are constantly increasing. “A lot Germans have booked their holidays earlier than the previous years, partly in November and December,” Norbert Fimpigk, president of the German Travel Association (DRV), said.
(source: ana-mpa)

- See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/03/08/greece-the-second-top-choice-for-german-tourists/#sthash.nbJqdtmt.dpuf

Meteora: The unique Monasteries with the unique view (VIDEO-PHOTOS)

A place that inspired elements of the Game of Thrones series! Near Thessaloniki (2 hours away )

Meteora is a place of beautiful place as well as a place of spiritual inner searches.
It is the second most important religious area after Mount Athos in Greece ans one
of the most important in the Orthodox Christianity.
The place is also ideal for tourism, of all kinds. Hiking, rafting, trekking or family
vacations. With numerous places to visit it provides an unforgettable all season
 experience.

Which countries Greece expects the most tourist from

Which countries Greece expects the most tourist from

CCI data aids Greek tourism to determine the countries most likely to pick the country as a holiday destination

In an effort to gauge the likelihood of incoming tourism per country to Greece, the Greek Tourism Confederation’s (SETE) Intelligence unit has incorporated the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) in its analytics arsenal. According to the CCI, which measures the consumer confidence citizens of countries as prospective tourists based on the OECD, visitors to Greece are more likely to come from the Czech Republic, USAm Finland, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Holland, and to a lesser degree from Austria, Germany and Sweden. The CCI data reflects the incoming flight bookings with the exception of the UK, where despite the low CCI, citizens have a high degree of flight bookings. Slovakia recorded the highest CCI number with 102.8, while Turkey registered the higher fall in CCI with 2.3% and stands at the lowest number at 96 points. Arrivals in Greece were up by 6.9% via air for January, representing over 18,000 people. Athens International Airport constituted 43% of those, and Thessaloniki airport 57%. Arrivals in Greece via road were down by 10.8% in January 2017 compared to the same period last year. Finally sea arrivals from Italy to Greece recorded a 6.8% increase compared to January 2016.

January land and air arrivals 

CCI per country 

Sea arrivals

source :Sete