Full Occupancy at Winter Destinations in Greece for the Holidays

Mt Parnassos. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Popular winter destinations in Greece are ready to welcome holidaymakers with the majority of hotels already reaching full occupancy.

More specifically, hotels are currently at 90 percent capacity for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays (from December 22 to January 7).

Speaking to ANA-MPA, Hellenic Hoteliers Federation (POX) Secretary General Aggelos Kallias, who is also president of the Drama Hoteliers Association, said that destinations with Christmas theme parks or ski resorts are winning over travelers, adding that demand is set to exceed available rooms.

Indicatively, hotels in Drama are almost fully booked due to the Christmas park there, and Kallias said incoming tourism from the Balkan countries is also on the rise.

Greek holidaymakers are keen on visiting villages on Mt Parnassos, in Epirus and the Peloponnese this year and many have booked early.

Kallias went on to mention the villages of Mt Pelion, which he said were once again open to tourists after the damaging floods in September. He said forecasts were good with occupancy levels close to 80 percent for winter.

Also expected to see domestic tourist flows increase are Athens and Thessaloniki, said Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH) Vice President Christina Tetradi.

The Christmas tree at Syntagma Square in Athens. Photo source: Municipality of Athens

Greeks are also traveling abroad with top destinations of choice this year including Italy, Spain, London, Vienna, Budapest, and Paris according to Federation of Hellenic Associations of Travel & Tourist Agencies (fedHATTA) President Lysandros Tsilidis.

Both Tetradi and Kallias underlined the importance of actions for the extension of the tourist season. Apart from the Christmas and New Year’s period, demand for winter destinations in Greece by Greeks and foreigners is very low, they said.