Tourist Arrivals to South Aegean Region Closer to Pre-Covid 2019 Levels

Tourist arrivals to the South Aegean Region, which includes such popular islands as Rhodes, Kos, Santorini, Mykonos and Karpathos, surpassed pre-Covid-19 levels in the period to April 30, according to data provided by the South Aegean Tourism Initiative (SATI).

More specifically, the number of arrivals at five of the region’s key airports increased over the four-month period to April 30 by 13.07 percent compared to 2019, with more than 200,000 passengers on 1,300 international flights, reflecting a strong demand for the Dodecanese and Cyclades islands.

The South Aegean Region has been welcoming international arrivals since March, launching its tourist season earlier than ever before.

According to the same data, Santorini launched the season on strong footing, recording a 42 percent increase over 2019 with 38,257 arrivals to April 30 compared to 26,927 in the same period in 2019.

Rhodes welcomed 114,844 travelers on 700 flights to April 30, compared to 102,664 in the same period in 2019 marking a 12 percent rise. A total of 32,280 tourists visited Kos in the same period compared to 31,597 in 2019. And lastly, Mykonos airport handled 17,455 arrivals but still down compared to 18,189 in 2019.

SATI goes on to note that despite the challenges of the global market this year, robust tourist flows during Easter and first booking data are encouraging for the course of the upcoming tourist season, showing a return to the “highs” of 2019.

Overall, in the same four months, airports in Greece welcomed 8.1 million passengers on 89,690 flights, up by 383 percent over the same period in 2021 (1.7 million on 44,185 flights), the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) said this week.

Established in January 2021 by the region’s governor, George Hatzimarkos, the South Aegean Tourism Initiative is made up of tourism, trade and hotel stakeholders and their relevant associations and chambers.