Hotel Occupancy Hits 100% in All Greek Destinations for Clean Monday Holiday Weekend

Photo source: Patras Carnival official website (carnivalpatras.gr)

Occupancy rates in all Greece’s travel destinations have hit 100 percent for the three-day Clean Monday holiday weekend (February 25-27) giving a very welcoming boost to domestic tourism, Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Saturday.

This weekend (February 25-26) marks the end of the carnival season and leads to the start of lent, known as Clean Monday or Ash Monday (this year February 27), which is a national holiday in Greece.

Speaking to SKAI TV, Kikilias pointed out that there are no rooms available in Patra, one of Greece’s most popular carnival destinations, while high occupancy rates have also been recorded in other areas of the Peloponnese, such as Kalavryta, Arcadia, Corinthia and Kalamata.

Moreover, the minister said that Xanthi in northern Greece and another very popular carnival destination, this year set an all-time record in hotel occupancy.

The carnival in Xanthi by night. Photo source: carnivalofxanthi.gr

“There is also 100 percent occupancy in Ioannina and Metsovo, the ski resort in Anilio is open, most accommodations in Naoussa and Central Macedonia are full,” the minister said, adding that this weekend people are taking city breaks in Thessaloniki and that occupancy rates in Epirus (Tzoumerka, Konitsa and Zagorochoria) are at 90 percent.

The minister also informed that the 2,000 hotel beds available in city of Rethymno (Crete) were not enough to cover the high demand for this three-day holiday weekend.

“The destination’s hoteliers took action and two more hotels opened their doors, resulting to 3,000 booked beds for the three-day period,” said Kikilias, underlining that the “Tourism for All” subsidy program for holidays in Greece allowed many citizens to take short-day vacations and boost domestic tourism.

“The recovery of tourism decisively supports the primary sector, which with its products supplies tourism companies, taverns, restaurants and the business world and at the same time it brings large and important investments, giving life to the country’s development,” the minister said.

Kikilias added that the high demand for vacations this Clean Monday holiday weekend is a clear message how domestic tourism will carry on during the Easter holiday in April.