It is hoped that tourism in Greece will achieve 75% of the foreign numbers achieved in 2022 compared to the record-breaking (pre-COVID pandemic) 2019 figure.
This estimate was welcomed by Greek hoteliers, some of whom conveyed the market climate to us.
This emerges, examining the first data from the reservations, from contracts and scheduled flights, as the member of the Board of the Panhellenic Hoteliers Federation and president of Hoteliers of Rethymno, Emmanouil Tsakalakis, explained.
Specifically for Crete, he estimated that it will exceed 80% of arrivals compared to 2019.
Tsakalakis explained that this year there are flexible tourist packages which can be easily canceled if needed.
"Our hope is not necessarily for coronavirus numbers to decrease, but that there will be no new mutations and variants of the virus that may upset the good picture," he said.
"Scientists point out that the risk for such a thing will be small, however the season will be proportional to the evolution of the pandemic," Tsakalakis added.
"Tourists probably from March"
In the previous good years, ie until 2019, hotels opened from the end of April-beginning of May, as the president of Rethymnon hoteliers points out.
"However, this year we may see people in March as well," he predicted, stressing that there is a great need for people to travel after two years of restrictions.
He said this will be "especially in Crete, which is the number one destination."
A similar picture, however, exists further north, according to what Georgios Zafeiris, president of the Magnesia Hoteliers Association, pointed out.
"We are moving forward as if there is no pandemic," he said.
"Unless there are new problems with the virus, we will be talking about a great year.
"Anchialos airport has already scheduled flights for spring and early summer from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria and other areas,.
"From there they will go to the islands.
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