Increased by at least 10% compared to last year will be the cost of travel and hotel accommodation, for those who choose to spend their holidays in an island destination, while the amount is increased by another 10%-15% per person, in the event that ship passengers choose to book a cabin, avoiding economy airline class for the trip their. If one chooses to travel to an island by plane, then the total vacation package is estimated to increase by approximately 20% compared to 2022.
The high costs of vacations for now seem to be “putting the brakes” on a large part of Greeks, since they may be researching the data and calling hotels for information, however, reservations are still limited.
One in two Greeks will not go on vacation this year – What is changing in consumer habits
Several foreign tourists from European countries who traditionally prefer Greece for their holidays seem to be stressed. As hotelier representatives claim on ethnos.gr, the increased cost of living after the war in Ukraine made many Europeans, based on the data so far, reduce their vacation days and prefer cheaper hotels. On the contrary, tourist agents report that mainly for the islands of the Cyclades, it currently seems that there will be more visitors from the USA and Asian countries than in the past, while this year the Oceania market also seems to be opening up significantly.
In conclusion, the representatives of the hoteliers estimate that the number of tourists this year will approach and possibly exceed that of the “gold” 2019, however, the revenues will be less, since the operating costs of the hotels have increased significantly.
Accommodation in hotels is more expensive
In particular, and according to what the general secretary of the Panhellenic Hoteliers Federation, Manolis Tsakalakis, tells ethnos.gr, staying in hotels for the summer holidays will cost 10% more on average this year compared to last year. He notes that the operating costs of the hotels are 25% higher than in 2022, however, a percentage of 15% are forced to be covered by the entrepreneurs themselves.
“Our staff costs alone are up by 38%, while the total running costs of the hotels have risen by 25% as a consequence of more expensive energy after the war in Ukraine. Greeks have a desire to go on vacation, they are ”looking”, they ask us, but they are still hesitant. Few have closed, mainly those who have a relative financial comfort. But things are also difficult for the Europeans this year. Most of them try to reduce their vacation days and look for cheaper hotels for their stay. If, for example, someone came to Greece last year and stayed in a five-star hotel, this year they are looking for a four-star hotel. April and May did not go as we expected. More tourists came, but stayed for a shorter time. Also, AirBnB does a lot of damage to hotels,” Mr. Tsakalakis tells ethnos.gr.
According to the general secretary of POX, currently and apparently for the whole of June, the upper price of a double room in an average hotel – with the exception of world-famous destinations – reaches 100 euros. In the high season the overnight price in a double room in mid-range hotels will vary between 75 and 150 euros.
Maritime agents: Unchanged economy class tickets
The general secretary of the Union of Maritime Agents of the Greek Islands, Kostas Papoutsis, speaks to ethnos.gr about stable prices of ferry tickets compared to last year in the economy class (airline type seats). He notes, however, that cabin rental prices are up 10%-15%.
“Personally, I am active in the Dodecanese and I see that the prices in the simple position of ships has remained the same compared to last year. You arrived in the Dodecanese last year with around 90 euros, you need the same amount this year. However, it is a fact that the price of renting a cabin has increased. Compared to last year, it is up by about 10%-15%”, says Mr. Papoutsis.
For his part, the representative of the tourist agents of Greece at the Coastal Transport Council, Dimitris Petropoulos, who is active in Paros, notes that after the large increase recorded last year in coastal ferry tickets, which in some cases reached 50% or more, this year their prices have no differences.
“As an example, let me mention the route Piraeus – Paros. From 37 euros one-way per person with a conventional ship, the cost rose to 50 euros and remains there this year. It is a fact that traveling is now financially difficult for the Greek tourist and that is why many companies have discount programs for frequent customers. Of course, these discounts, which were adopted during the time of the corona virus, have now been abolished today in the cabins and that is why the prices are increased by 10%-15%”, says Mr. Petropoulos.
Source: ethnos.gr
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