Oliver Grosse-Kleimann of Alltours in Tornos News: Rhodes and Crete take off in the German market

The main Greek destinations in the German market are recording a strong double-digit increase in bookings, according to the demand recorded for the 2025 summer season by the German tour operator Alltours.

Tornos News spoke with Alltours’ contract manager for Greece, Mr. Oliver Grosse-Kleimann, who confirmed the strong upward trend in demand for our country, with an impressive increase in bookings since last year, especially for Crete and Rhodes.

In addition, the high-ranking Alltours executive revealed that the tour operator, through the Allsun hotel brand that it owns, in addition to the two new hotels opening this year in Crete, is looking for opportunities to operate new units in Greece in the coming years, with the aim of creating quality hotels that will meet the needs of German middle-class travelers.

Mr. Grosse-Kleimann also spoke about issues of Greek tourism related to infrastructure in Greek destinations, insisting that the improvement of Crete's road network, for example, is necessary and will constitute a substantial advantage for its tourism.

-How is the demand for Greece shaping up in the German market for 2025?

For us at Alltours, the prospects for Greece from the German market for 2025 are extremely positive. We have an increase in all destinations, in double digits. The largest increase so far is recorded in Rhodes and is around 42%, followed by the largest destination in Greece for the German market, Crete, with an increase of 28% which means that we already have reservations for 45,000 of our customers for the season on the island.

-What is Greece's position this year in the competition?

Greece is currently in second place among the countries with the highest demand, after Spain which is in first place, while Greece and Turkey are almost at the same levels.

A differentiating factor between the two countries, which is soon expected to slightly change the balance, is the following: Due to the price level which is partly driven by flight prices, Turkey will ultimately be the number 2 destination for this year and Greece will be third, but with a strong presence in reservations.

-Is there any difference this year compared to other years?

This year we had a very strong booking period that started in October, while other years started in mid-November. In fact, they started very strong, we had a fantastic November and a very good December. There was a short break during the Christmas period, which is normal because everyone is on vacation, but immediately afterward, from January 1, bookings went up again.

-What is Greece's position in the competition in terms of prices?

In terms of prices in Greece and competitors, there are no big differences. If we look at the largest destinations, the price levels in Spain are similar to the prices in Greece.

Of course, the new factor that is added is the taxes for this year. The problem is not the taxes themselves but the fact that customers are asked to pay them directly at the reception. The first thing they encounter in hotels, after being welcomed at the reception, is the payment of taxes, and I believe that this no longer includes the concept of hospitality. It would be better if our tourists had the opportunity to calculate the amount of taxes in the total price.

-What is the average holiday budget for a German family?

Regarding the average budget of Germans this year, for a family of two adults with two children, and a 14-day stay in a four-star hotel, the maximum is approximately 4,500 to 5,000 euros. For a corresponding stay in a five-star hotel, this amount can rise to 5,000 to 6,000 euros.

At the same time, however, we see that for July and August, booking revenues continue to be very low and this was also observed last year. This means that the price levels in these 2 months of the high season, for some of our customers, are no longer an affordable option. This is why some are now choosing countries such as Tunisia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Albania.

-At a press conference by Alltours during this year's ITB international tourism exhibition, two new hotels of the group were presented in Crete. Are you looking for opportunities for more hotels in Greece in the coming years?

We are also developing the Allsun brand in Greece, which is 100% owned by Alltours. In total, we have 33 hotels, most of which are in Spain, and we are the largest hotel chain in Mallorca, and not Iberostar, Melia, etc., as one might think.

Since 2018, we have decided to have a hotel presence in Greece as well, with our first hotel, Carolina Mare in Malia, followed by Zorbas Village in Hersonissos.

Most recently, in 2019, we purchased the Malia Beach Hotel, which was operated by Dessole. We have done a complete renovation and in the summer of 2025, it will open as Allsun Malia Beach. At the same time, we are building a new hotel, the 4.5-star Carolina Sun Beach, next to Carolina Mare, which is going to have a “soft opening” in the middle of this season and be fully operational in the summer of 2026.

In the future, we want to invest in new hotels in Greece and we are close to an agreement for a new hotel on another Greek island.

We are looking for new units in Greece, especially through the Allsun brand, because this is what our customers really need. In many destinations, the hotel stock of five-star units is increasing, and all new hotels are five-star, while in the last two years, there has been a trend towards five-star hotels exclusively for adults, as a result of which there are no options left for families.

Therefore, for the German market, which is mainly composed of the middle class, we need commercial, good-quality hotels. They don't have to be cheap four-star hotels, but quality 4.5-star hotel units with reasonable prices.

-How do you assess the infrastructure in Greece?

There is a lot of room for improvement in the infrastructure in Greece. In general, the country's infrastructure is improving year after year. If one looks at the arrivals, especially in Crete, the road network infrastructure to the hotels plays a big role in tourism, especially in the busy areas of ​​Anissaras and Hersonissos. There continue to be small roads where buses cannot pass, and there are delays in transportation to the hotels for routes of 7-8 kilometers. It is absolutely necessary, against the background of the opening of the new airport in Kastelli, to improve the road connection of the major tourist destinations of the island.

The new airport is very close to the Hersonissos Anissaras area where the majority of Alltours' clients are every summer. However, I am concerned about destinations such as Georgioupolis, in terms of travel time, since there is still no highway connecting directly to Heraklion. In Rethymno, where we also offer programs from Chania airport, we see that many customers, due to the availability of flights to Heraklion, choose Heraklion as their main airport. However, the transfer time remains long, and I hope that this will change.

I also see that Ierapetra is developing, has wonderful hotels, and certainly needs a better road network. There is a suitable network up to Agios Nikolaos and a little further, but if one crosses the island the situation becomes difficult.

In comparison, Rhodes has a slightly better road infrastructure. Kiotari already has a good connection to the airport.

If we look at it from the customers' perspective, they travel by plane for three hours to Greece, and it takes them maybe an hour to collect their luggage from the airport, then they have to wait for the bus to fill up, and then travel by road for 1-2 hours to their destination. If you calculate the total time it takes to get to the hotel, it is equal to a trip to the Caribbean! Therefore, it would be very good to upgrade the infrastructure so that hotels are better connected to the airports.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report