Industry Reports & Trends

The Panorama fair’s organizer, the Kalofolias group, released results of its annual survey on domestic tourism at the fair’s inauguration ceremony. According to the survey, holidays and travel remain significant priorities for Greeks. The majority (52.7 percent) spend more than 900 euros per year on holidays, 44.2 percent spend up to that amount and slightly more than one in six Greeks (17.7 percent) spend 1,500 euros or more on their holidays.

Attica hotel occupancy has increased 5 percent during the first quarter of this year as compared with last year said Giorgos Tsakiris, president of the Attica Hoteliers’ Association (EXA) at last month’s general assembly meeting. However, Mr. Tsakiris continued, room rates remain low. Prices dropped dramatically in 2005 because of the great number of new and refurbished hotels on the market without an increase in demand.

With the recent rally in the euro, which has pushed the currency close to historic highs against the dollar, professionals in the tourism sector begin to doubt expectations expressed by officials for a substantial increase in tourism arrivals this year. They say the rising euro may help contain the cost of dollar-priced imports, like oil, but it may also send tourists to cheaper destinations.

Travel agents, hoteliers, car-rental agencies and tour operators are enthusiastic and optimistic for this year’s tourism season. They foresee yet another year of increases in arrivals and revenue.

Athens International Airport’s spring timetable offers 836 weekly scheduled flights – 47 more compared to the respective period in 2005 (+6% growth on a year-to-year basis) – operated by 56 airlines, connecting AIA to 68 international destinations in 47 countries.

Greece continues to lose ground as a preferred tourism destination. In 2004, Greece placed 16th as a tourism destination choice worldwide, a drop from 13th in 2002, according to the findings of a recent study titled, “The Challenge of Competitiveness and Redefining Greek Tourism Product Placement,” which was carried out by the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises.

Traveler’s checks are on their way to extinction. They are nice to have if you have a habit of losing things or are traveling to a destination with a high crime threat, or to a very remote area, but travel professionals insist on ATMs, which are virtually everywhere these days, with most accepting a variety of cards.

According to Agrotouristiki, the number of accredited agro-tourism enterprises in Greece reach more than 1,000, with some 600 of these providing accommodation. But just 20 or so of these units are truly agrotourism units that encourage visitors to experience agricultural life at first hand: Places where visitors have the opportunity to work in the fields alongside real farmers and wade knee-deep in the sea with fishermen hauling in their nets.

Since economic recovery in Europe has not been as strong as expected, due in large part to weak consumer demand, travel specialists expect slow growth for their sector this year. (Greece on the other hand expects to see arrival increases this year.)

Greece consistently ranks among the top 15 destinations in the world, attracting some 14 million international travelers annually, Dublin-based Research and Markets said in their latest report, “Travel & Tourism International 2005 – Profile of Greece,” which they have added to their service.