Tourist Demand for South Aegean Islands Going Strong

Mykonos, South Aegean. Photo source: @Aegean Islands

Tourist demand for the South Aegean islands is robust but vigilance is required in view of Covid-19 developments, said South Aegean Region Governor George Hatzimarkos after a meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday.

Hatzimarkos briefed the PM on tourism flows to the region’s islands, which include popular destinations like Rhodes, Kos, Santorini, Mykonos and Karpathos, adding that based on data so far, there is keen interest into autumn.

Earlier this month, the South Aegean Region announced that more than 1 million international tourists spent their holidays there in the last three months, with the region overall reaching nearly 92 percent of last year’s total.

South Aegean Governor George Hatzimarkos and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Hatzimarkos also referred to the challenges created by the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic as well as ways to address the changing demands and conditions.

He went on to note that Greece had successfully welcomed tourists during a pandemic, “a world first”, and attributed the successful management to government planning and to close cooperation between regional and government authorities.

Looking ahead, the region’s governor expressed his confidence that the dynamic will continue into the next few months but underlined the importance for vigilance and quick reflexes.

“In a period of unprecedented challenges, we are called upon to act creatively and responsibly… seriously and immediately,” said Hatzimarkos, stressing the importance of collective cooperation towards a common goal.