Mykonos Reigns Supreme

Mykonos was always considered as one of the most expensive tourist destinations in Greece. Recent figures come to prove that this general belief is true. More specifically, 5-Star Hotels in the island of Mykonos are the most expensive compared to these in rival destinations of Europe and the Mediterranean.

According to data provided by Trivago and analysed by experts of SETE, the Greek Tourism Confederation, the rate for five-star hotel in Mykonos was €705 ($816) in July, €19 less than July of the previous year. Nevertheless, Mykonos was still more expensive than Ibiza in Spain where the price was €618 ($716), Santorini with €589 ($682), and Sardinia with €612 ($709).

Rates at Greek hotels remained competitive with rival destinations abroad in July, according the report, which cites trivago data, with the exception of Mykonos and Santorini, both established internationally as high-expense destinations attracting high-income travelers.

The three main source markets for the month of July were: Italy, the UK and Germany, with Athens, Mykonos and Santorini as top choice destinations. In the meantime, according to the monthly bulletin, consumer confidence is positively steady in most Greek source markets with the exception of Belgium, France, Sweden and Finland – and in most cases, at a higher level than the corresponding OECD average.

Greece recorded a 9.8 percent increase in international air arrivals in July. According to SETE Intelligence, Athens International Airport (AIA) saw incoming traffic rise by 18.1 percent in July and regional airports by 7.8 percent.

Passenger flows grew by 21.8 percent at AIA in the first seven months of the year, compared to the January-July 2017 period and by 12.8 percent at regional airports. Road arrivals also increased over the seven-month period by 1.5 percent. At the same time, incoming traffic for June grew by 22.3 percent against the same month in 2017, with tourism-related revenue was up by 16.0 percent.

For the six-month 2018 period incoming tourism flows increased by 19.1 percent and revenue by 18.9 percent compared to the same period in 2017.