Germans Opt for Cheaper Destinations

It appears that Germans have turned away from Greece as a holiday destination and have headed to cheaper destinations outside the euro zone. Greek tourism professionals say the move has been going on since 2002 and to a great extent is due to the condition of the German economy and that country’s increased unemployment rate; All of which tends to reduce the available income for holiday travel.

Another reason for the trend to cheaper destinations, according to Greek tourism professionals, is the huge market share held by the major German tour operators. The operators, logically, push demand through the promotion of packages that allow them to enjoy higher profit margins. For the moment, that means packages to destinations outside of the euro zone, such as Turkey, Bulgaria and Croatia.

As well, for Greece in particular, general press reports prior to last year’s Olympic Games created the general impression that the country was expensive for the foreign traveler. Thus, the idea of high prices, tied together with the abovementioned, places Greece in a difficult position when cheap prices make up the prevalent criteria for vacation destination choices.