UK Demand for Holidays in Greece Going Strong, Says GNTO

Sunvil General Director Chris Wright, GNTO UK & Ireland Director Eleni Skarveli and the events manager of the UK’s Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO). Photo source: GNTO

Interest in holidays in Greece appears to be strong in the UK, according to feedback collected by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) during the “Destinations: The Holiday and Travel Show 2024” organized in London last month by The Times and The Sunday Times.

The GNTO UK & Ireland branch participated as part of an advertising deal with Sunvil, which currently offers package trips to 59 destinations in Greece.

According to feedback, the GNTO said news was good with data revealing a strong 2024 on the back of an unprecedented increase in bookings from the UK market in December.

Explore! Marketing Director Claire Townley and GNTO UK & Ireland Director Eleni Skarveli. Photo source: GNTO

Following meetings with local tourism stakeholders during the event, which brought together 600 exhibitors and over 50,000 visitors, the GNTO said that on average travelers from the UK aged 55-64 spend around 9,000 euros on travel per year. There was also strong interest in last-minute bookings and discounts, slow tourism options, off season travel, holidays by train, and outdoor activities.

Indicative of the demand, the UK market was among those driving November 2023 arrivals to Greece up by 27.5 percent and a key source market last year with January-November travel receipts up by 6.0 percent to 3,286.7 million euros.