SETE: Greece sets new record for October tourism (video)

Greece, it seems, is having an endless summer, according to greekreporter.com.

The proof is the fact that it is October, but tourism in Greece is still going strong. In fact, it was one of the best in recent history and is higher than all the past Octobers.

This is the announcement the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) made recently. Revenues for 2022 have already surpassed the 18.2 billion euros ($17.92 billion) generated in 2019. At the moment, Greece is set to have earned around 19 billion euros ($18.7 billion) for the current year. This follows on the footsteps of an outstanding July.

Demand for flights shows tourism in Greece is almost as high as in summer
According to Insete’s recovery tracker, airline seat capacity for flights to Greece from the 29th of September to the 2nd of October reached an astonishing 708,929. For the following week of October 3rd through October 9th, it was at 617,000. For the period October 10-16th, it hit 584,000 and 540,544 from the 17th to the 23rd. The number of flights to islands such as Crete, Kos, and Rhodes was also high.

Most visitors to the nation this autumn came from the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland, Cyprus, and Israel. With the exception of Israel, it stemmed, in essence, from places where the change from warm summer to chillier autumn weather had already begun to hit.

For that reason, companies like the UK’s airline Jet2 are now planning to extend their 2023 program with the provision of new routes and more seats.

“According to the reservation and ticket data for September and October, tourist flows are not only ongoing but in several instances stronger,” stated the Greek Tourism Minister.

Why is Greece doing so well? Perhaps because six Greek locations were in the top ten for travel in Europe this year for the months of July, August, and September.

Record demand for AirbnbsThe demand for Airbnbs this September and October reflects this trend. The number of pre-bookings for those months stretched the 2022 summer season and brought in extra revenue for the country.

The Panhellenic Network of E-Real Estate rentals released a study this Friday in which they revealed that pre-bookings for Airbnbs had reached 85-95 percent in September and would probably climb to 60-80 % for October.

This increased demand for short-term stays included rentals on 13major islands. These include those in Patmos the Dodecanese, Skiathos and Skopelos in the Sporades, and Hydra and Spetses in the Saronic Islands. The Cycladic islands of Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Tinos, Mykonos, Andros, Kea and Kythnos are, of course, also booked out for the month.

The island with the highest demand of 95 percent in September was Santorini, which had 3,739 booked. Skiathos came second with 89 percent of its 631 reserved. Hydra was at 88 percent with 329 properties. Skopelos at 86 percent with 824 pre-booked rentals and Naxos at 82 with 2,411 of its houses and apartments taken. Kythnos (268), Paros (2,902), and Mykonos (3615) also had high demand.

The rebound in summer tourism and now in Autumn has been a welcome event following the pandemic.
“The short-term rental accommodation model can help extend the tourism season,” the president of Panhellenic Network of E-Real Estate rentals said, which would suit Greece’s National Tourism board's promotion of year-round tourism very well.

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