South Aegean Hotel Occupancy Reaches Up to 85% in August

The occupancy rate of hotels in hotels of the Cyclades and the Dodecanese islands reached up to 85 percent in August, the South Aegean Tourism Initiative said on Wednesday.

Citing data from a survey by the Institute for Tourism Research and Forecasts (ITEP), conducted for the South Aegean, the tourism body said that hotel occupancy on the region’s islands showed an upward trend with rates escalating from 30 percent – recorded by June 14 – to a high percentage of 84.7 percent in the week of August 9-15. During the week of August 16-22, occupancy exceeded 80 percent.

Moreover, ITEP’s data showed that the majority of the hotels on the South Aegean islands opened for business during the second year of the coronavirus (Covid-19) with 97,3 percent of the hotels in the Cyclades and the Dodecanese in operation by the week of August 16-22, up from 69.8 percent of seasonal hotels that had opened in June.

“The peak of the tourist season found almost all the hotels of the Cyclades and the Dodecanese open,” the South Aegean Tourism Initiative said.

The announced data is based on weekly questionnaires sent to hoteliers by ITEP in collaboration with the South Aegean Region. The purpose of the research is to monitor hotel performance on a weekly basis in order to record the course of tourist traffic, as shaped by the current health situation. The research is carried out with the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) method.

It is reminded that that every hotel in Greece opened this year after complying with the special health protocols announced by the government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19).

It should be mentioned that recent data on this summer’s direct international flight arrivals to the South Aegean islands, exceeded the numbers recorded for the 2020 tourism season.

Established in January 2021 by the regions governor, George Haztimarkos, the South Aegean Tourism Initiative is a body made up of tourism, trade and hotel stakeholders and their relevant associations and chambers.