South Aegean Voted Best Greek Hospitality Region 2021

Serifos island, Greece. Photo source: @Aegean Islands

The South Aegean Region for the second consecutive year was honored at the Greek Hospitality Awards (GHA) for its ongoing efforts to upgrade Greece’s tourism product.

Held recently in Athens by Ethos Events, the event celebrated excellence and innovation among enterprises and organizations of Greece’s hospitality industry for 2021.

The South Aegean Region received the Best Greek Hospitality Region award following an evaluation by the GHA’s judging committee comprised of distinguished tourism entrepreneurs and academics.

“I receive this award on behalf of all the islands’ residents and the people of tourism that worked hard for the positive results of 2020 and especially of 2021,” South Aegean Governor George Hatzimarkos said in a video message.

According to the South Aegean Tourism Initiative, a body set up by Hatzimarkos, tourism arrivals on the islands of the Cyclades and Dodecanese exceeded 2 million during the summer.

International arrivals to the region’s five international airports – Rhodes, Kos, Santorini, Mykonos and Karpathos – for the month of August doubled compared to the corresponding month of 2020.

Furthermore, tourist arrivals stayed high throughout September and are expected, in October, to surpass 2019 levels for the same month.

“The [coronavirus] pandemic has reminded us that we should take nothing for granted. We have to work to earn the trust of our visitors and friends… as well as maintain our jobs, income, smiles and optimism,” Hatzimarkos added.