Study: Western Crete Welcomes Rise in First-time Visitors

Chania, Crete.

More than half of all travelers to Western Crete this year so far visited for the first time while one in three said they would come back in the winter period if there was a direct flight, found a Western Crete Tourism Observatory study released this week.

The study, carried out jointly with the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, the Crete Polytechnic, Hellenic Mediterranean University, the University of Crete, and the Higher School of Tourism Education of Crete, found that 55 percent of all visitors were first-timers, reflecting a shift in the traveler profile from 2019.

 At the same time, holidaymakers gave Western Crete thumbs up (90 percent satisfaction score) for services in accommodation, quality of local products, hospitality and safety.

Balos beach.

Nine in 10 said they would visit again and would also recommend the region to friends and family.

Other key findings of the survey which was conducted through 1,700 questionnaires distributed at Chania Airport through to August 20, include:

– international tourist arrivals at Chania airport for the January-July 2023 rose by 8 percent to 790,000 compared to the same period in 2022

– key source markets this year compared to 2022 include travelers from Norway up 30 percent, Sweden (+6 percent) and Finland (+4 percent), with Scandinavian holidaymakers accounting for about 40 percent of total arrivals post-Covid

Chania, Crete.

– in the January-July period, arrivals broke all records reaching 1.9 million up by 6.5 percent over the same period in 2022

– arrivals from Germany, the UK and France accounted for 55 percent of all arrivals

– the majority of visitors to Western Crete so far this year are aged 45-55, the same as in 2021 and 2022

– average income bracket of travelers is between 70,000 – 80,000 euros up from 45,000 – 60,000 euros in pre-Covid 2019. Study analysts attribute this increase to the rise in tourists from the UK, Germany, US, Canada and Australia. One-third of all visitors to Western Crete said their income is around 100,000 euros

Elafonissi, western Crete.

– average spending per traveler for food came to 500 euros, purchases 251  euros, and vehicle (car, motorbike) rentals at 315 euros – the same with last year’s levels

– main reasons travelers cited for visiting Western Crete were the quality of services, accommodation at beach-front facilities, relaxation, beaches, landscape, and Cretan gastronomy

– visitors to Western Crete prefer “all inclusive” packages (20 percent), Airbnbs (15 percent), more than half choose hotels, and private villas (7 percent).

– travelers stay on average for nine nights

Chania, Crete.

– top destinations in Western Crete include Elafonisi, Balos and Falasarna

– more than half of those polled said they were interested in alternative forms of tourism.

On the downside, travelers who completed the questionaries said they were not satisfied with the poor condition of the road network and signage, waste collection and management, the heavy use of plastics, lack of available parking space and traffic congestion mainly in Chania town.