Bookings to Greece Slump After Referendum Announcement

Following the government’s announcement on June 26 to hold a referendum in Greece, holiday bookings to the country slumped by 17 percent during June 27-30, according to data by Amadeus global distribution system (airline bookings) that was processed and released by SETE Intelligence on Friday.

The data showed that bookings to Greece from June 1 to June 26 were on the up by three percent, compared to the same period last year. However, after June 26, when the referendum was announced, bookings began to fall sharply day by day (-17 percent on June 28, -21 percent on June 29 and -30 percent on June 30) compared to last year.

The data further showed that for the whole month of June, bookings recorded a 20 percent drop.

According to SETE Intelligence, the data is subject to change as cancelled bookings have not yet been incorporated in the system.

In a separate announcement on Friday, the Tourism Ministry denied media reports of “mass cancellations” and underlined that leading international tour operators continue to trust and support the country.

On Thursday, the president of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Andreas Andreadis, said that there still would be time for bookings to pick up and cover lost ground after Sunday’s referendum, but only if the country returns to normality, the banking system resumes and Greece’s image abroad is restored.