TUI Extends Packages for Greece to November Driven by Strong Demand

Travel demand for Greece this summer is growing with Crete leading the way, according to data released this week by German leisure travel operator TUI.

The tour operator said one in five of its holiday packages are booked for Greece confirming forecasts made in April and May. Summer bookings are high for Crete,  Corfu,  Kos, Rhodes, Zakynthos, Karpathos, Santorini and Halkidiki as well as the Western Peloponnese.

Speaking at a company briefing in Berlin this week, TUI Germany CEO Stefan Baumert confirmed demand was high and that overall bookings in the last few weeks had exceeded pre-Covid 2019 levels for the first time.

In order to meet the demand, the German tour operator said it will be extending its season for Greece through to mid-November.

“With our own TUI fly flights and with our partners, reservations can be made for Greek destinations until mid-November,” Baumert said, adding that there was still time for last-minute bookings for TUI packages to the Greek islands.

Crete, Greece.

According to TUI, sales are back to pre-Covid levels and German tourists are booking trips two weeks earlier compared to a year ago. The German travel giant expects business to pick up in 2023.

The most popular destination for TUI’s clients is Majorca followed by Antalya in Turkey. “Approximately 15 percent of our visitors from Germany choose to holiday on Turkish beaches,” said Baumert, adding that more than 1 million travelers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland will be heading to Antalya this year. Other favorites include the Canary Islands, particularly Tenerife.

TUI operates more than 4,500 hotels at 24 destinations in Greece and offers 144 weekly flights mainly to Heraklion (Crete), Rhodes, and Kos via TUI fly.