Holidaymakers Rank Athens and Greece High this Summer

Greece and Athens are among the leading destinations of choice for European holidaymakers this summer, according to eviivo and RateGain Travel Technologies Limited (RateGain).

More specifically, based on booking figures for the summer ahead, Greece was ranked 6^th as an overall travel destination, 7^th for business travel and 5^th for leisure with Athens ranking 7^th for leisure also. Additionally, couples are also picking Greece this summer as are families.

According to the report, the Top 10 Europe destinations for summer 2023 in terms of inbound flight bookings for June-August 2023 are Portugal, Spain, Italy, the UK, and France, Greece, German, Netherlands, Switzerland and Ireland.

Source: eviivo/ RateGain.

The Top 10 European cities for summer 2023 in terms of international arrivals are Lisbon, London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Madrid, Porto, Amsterdam, Milan and Palma de Mallorca.

According to study analysts, 87 percent of those polled said they plan to travel this summer, flight searches are up by 25 percent, and Airbnb users have already planned stays in over 72,000 cities and towns.

The report also sees an “explosive” growth in bookings in Europe with the European travel market projected to grow by 20 percent in 2023, reaching pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. Many popular destinations in Europe, including Greece, have already surpassed pre-Covid travel figures.

In Europe, domestic and regional travel is recovering as is business travel while demand for leisure travel continues to grow. Indicatively, nights booked in Europe in Q2 were up by 15.4 percent with ADR up by 13.2 percent year-on-year, jumping from 125.17 euros to 141.64 euros. Occupancy is up 10.2 percent, while RevPAR has increased by 24.7 percent.

“We have certainly seen tremendous growth of bookings and reservations from our hoteliers, hosts and property owners, many who have rooms booked for several weeks straight through summer,” says eviivo CEO Michele Fitzpatrick. “After three years of Covid, travelers have saved money, booked business and leisure trips as far back as winter based on our data, and now, they have the perfect weather for their travels in inspiring places throughout Europe.”

According to an Expedia report, travelers are booking hotels (24.71 percent), resorts (17.15 percent), and short-term vacation rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo (12.24 percent).

Other key trends include:

– business travel is regaining its position pre-pandemic levels with many businesses keen to resume face-to-face meetings and build relationships with clients

– more travelers are bringing their pets. “Pet-friendly” is one of the top-searched for terms on booking sites

– the US contributes to the highest intercontinental leisure travel bookings in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and the highest searches made for most EMEA destinations

– there is high leisure demand from Denmark and Sweden for European destinations

– Germany is emerging as an important business destination for EMEA.