The figures are derived from the analysis of air ticket data to European city destinations in July and August, the peak summer period.
Athens is in sixth place among the ten most popular cities in Europe in terms of flight searches for the July-August period, meaning the Greek capital has continued its high performance since the beginning of the year.
The figures come from data analysis carried out by the specialist company Forwardkeys for air tickets to European city destinations in the peak summer period, July and August 2024. The figures are based on searches made during the first four months of 2024, from January to April.
The two "classic" destinations, London and Paris, come first on the list, having even gained a share compared to the previous year, followed by Barcelona, while Istanbul and Rome complete the top five.
The Forwardkeys analysis also mentions an interesting fact about the Paris Olympics: Not only the French capital but also the British one benefit from the event, with a significant increase in searches compared to last year, given the multiple connectivity options it offers.
Athens follows in 6th place, having lost marginal share compared to its counterparts in 2023, as has happened with Lisbon, Madrid and Mallorca.
Forwardkeys' analysis points out that based on flight searches in the first quarter of the year for the summer season, these destinations appear with lower shares - even marginally, as is the case in Athens - because they managed to recover very quickly last year the ground lost after the pandemic.
Overall, Forwardkeys predicts a return for travel to Europe this summer to pre-pandemic levels, with a marginal difference of -1% in bookings made in the first quarter of the year for July-August. The corresponding percentage appears to have increased by 13% compared to 2023.
In addition to the flight numbers, the data related to the cruises are also positive for the Greek capital. Based on the relevant analysis by the hotel management company Square Lime, the indisputable data shows Athens' continuous rise and the stay of cruise customers.
The forecast for 2024 is a 10% increase in cruise ship arrivals, which equates to approximately 225,000 more cruise passengers, with the largest portion of these coming to the port of Piraeus.
The UK's largest travel agent, Jet2holidays, has introduced the Athenian Riviera as a new destination for customers and independent travel agents.
In addition, as Square Lime Sales Director Ms. Katina Papadomanolaki pointed out, factors that directly impact the travel demand for Athens are the overall increased capacity of flights from Europe and the USA and upcoming international events, sporting or cultural, such as Coldplay and Sting concerts.
"All of the above, but not only, also reflect the nationalities of visitors flocking to Athens, with US customers continuing to dominate and the English market remaining strong. However, as expected, there is a large drop in flows from Israel," she said.
Stefania Souki is a columnist for New Money. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
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