Study: Greece Four-month Direct Hotel Bookings Drop

Direct bookings to Greek hotels declined in the first four months of the year by 9.3 percent compared to the same period in 2015, according to a recent study released by digital marketeers Nelios, who cited the recent instability in the wider region behind the dwindling figures.

Evaluating and comparing data from 200 hotel sites, Nelios also found a 21.4 percent decline in turnover in the same period primarily as a result of shrinking bookings and the fall in the average rate per booking.

The largest drop with regard to turnover was displayed by Canada at 68 percent, Australia by 33 percent and the US by 19 percent while bookings from Germany rose by 69 percent, Switzerland by 54 percent and France by 51 percent.

Nelios CEO Dimitris Serifis underlined, however, that the negative trend began to change after May. “We have observed a significant improvement from mid-May onwards with regard to reservations and turnover, and will be able to offer a clearer picture after the next four months as to whether 2016 will end on a positive or negative note.”

The UK and US are the leaders in online reservations with the former making 19.50 percent of all bookings and 21 percent of turnover for the first four months of 2016 and the latter at 17 percent and 19.60 percent of earnings.

In the meantime, the study found that last-minute bookings from the UK — affected by uncertainty following Britain’s decision to exit the EU — will be directly impacted.