Greek Tourism in 2022 ‘What a Success’, Hails ECTAA

Greek tourism has experienced a record – breaking year with almost 30 million visitors in 2022, according to a recent announcement by the European Travel Agents & Tour Operators Association (ECTAA).

ECTAA attributes the country’s success to its status as “a high-quality, safe and well-prepared destination”, attracting travelers to visit branded and alternative areas of interest during both summer and off-peak seasons.

The association, which represents some 70,000 travel agents and tour operators in Europe, actively promoted Greece as its preferred travel destination during 2022 thanks to a partnership agreement with the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO).

The deal also saw the organization of two ECTAA conferences in Chania and Thessaloniki, as well as the World Travel Agents Associations Alliance’s (WTAAA) first in-person General Assembly held in Athens with delegates coming from all five continents.

During these meetings, ECTAA members praised the Greek government’s actions to expand sustainable tourism; the light shed on the diversity of travel and tourism products that the country offers, and the expansion of the tourism period supported by an ECTAA – led webinar titled “Greece has a winter too.”

“Greece’s success is not a surprise,” said ECTAA’s Secretary General Eric Drésin, adding that during this year, the country fully realized the global need to travel sustainably and all tourism – related stakeholders remained committed to provide the best possible services to their guests.

According to Greek government officials, industry experts and analysts, Greece is on track to yield record high revenues of 20 billion euros this year, exceeding pre – pandemic levels.

source gtp

Greece is Fast Becoming a Top Location for Digital Nomads

 The Greek Digital Nomad Visa allows remote workers and online entrepreneurs to stay for up to two years

The Greek Digital Nomad Visa was created to encourage remote workers and online entrepreneurs to visit Greece more frequently and potentially stay for longer periods of time. 

The hope is that these professionals will bring their skills and expertise to the country, boosting the economy and enriching the local culture. According to a study by the MIT Enterprise Forum, attracting just 100,000 digital nomads to Greece for a period of six months could benefit the economy by approximately €1.6 billion.

This visa aims to take advantage of the growing trend of remote work, which has been facilitated by advances in communications technology and was further fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic when many people were unable to attend in-person workplaces.

Greece has traditionally been a popular tourist destination, but the country has not always been as welcoming to remote work. A study by the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) found that only 5% of the Greek workforce was working from home in 2019, which was well behind other EU countries at the time. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in remote work, and the Greek government is now hoping to take advantage of this trend by making it easier for digital nomads to obtain visas and work from anywhere in the country.

source: proto thema , travel.gr

Athens and Crete on ‘Best European Destinations’ List for 2022

 

Athens and Crete are among the 20 Best European Destinations for 2022, ranking 15th and 20th respectively, on the list recently released by the European Best Destinations (EBD).

EBD is a Brussels-based organization aiming to promote culture and tourism in Europe.

In its 13th edition, the online competition organized by EBD invited travelers from all over the globe to vote for their best destination in Europe. 

More than 400 cities competed for the prestigious title, while the winners were determined based on the vote of 528,069 travelers from 182 countries.

Athens

 Over the last 10 years, Athens has repeatedly been ranked among the Best European Destinations. This year, the Greek capital received a total of 5,024 votes.

According to the EBD, Athens is “a youthful city resolutely turned towards the future” with travelers returning time and time again for the Acropolis and the Temple of Poseidon.

The organization also proposes a visit to the Varvakios Agora, the city’s central indoor and outdoor food market; the Monastiraki neighborhood; the National Gardens and Athens’ seaside.

Crete

 Crete holds the secret of longevity, according to the EBD. The island ranks 20th on the EBD list with 1,002 votes.

“This Greek island bathed in sunshine and warm winds is an ideal destination for lovers of wild life but also for farniente and relaxation. Come drink your raki (cretan brandy) while enjoying a typical meal; it is said that the secret of longevity of its inhabitants is its gastronomy,” the organization says.

While on Crete, travelers should visit the historical sites of Petras and Kommos; dive into the warm blue waters of Matala or Falasarna; stay in the legendary city of Heraklion or in the beautiful port cities of Chania and Agios Nikolaos.

 Read more gtp

Crete island 2nd in EU and 5th globally in Tripadvisor 2022 popular destinations

 

Tripadvisor released its annual Travelers Choice Awards, a list of the top destinations for 2022 with several Greek destinations included in high spots in different categories, protothema.gr reports.

Most notably, Crete island occupied second place in the list of the most popular destinations in Europe for the current year, while in the corresponding world list, the largest island of our country “landed” in fifth place. Athens and Corfu were included in the list of European destinations. More specifically, the Greek capital ranked 14th in the preferences of tourists planning to travel to Europe in 2022, while the Corfu was in 16th place.

The criteria for highlighting the specific destinations each year are the following: the quality and the number of reviews that have been uploaded for each destination separately in the period from November 1, 2020, to October 31, 2021.

London took top honors for this year, in the European best destinations list, while also ranking second in the world, losing the top spot from Dubai.

In general, Europe is set to have a strong year in tourism for 2022, as Rome, Paris, and Barcelona are in third, fifth, and sixth place, respectively, with Constantinople (Istanbul) in Turkey coming in at fourth.

Greece is 3rd Most Desirable European Destination for Travel in 2022, Says Accor

 

A new study by Accor, a world leading hospitality group, reveals Greece as the third most desirable European destination in 2022 for people surveyed in five key tourism markets, namely the UK, The Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Russia.

The research forms part of an in-depth Northern Europe Travel Trends Report published by Accor, examining how changes in behaviour post-Covid will change the way people travel, live, work and play in 2022 and beyond.

The study questioned 6,000 people across the aforementioned five countries about their travel preferences and desires. Despite recent setbacks with the Delta and Omicron variants, more than 80 percent plan to travel in 2022.

Read more  gtp

What is better than weekends? Greekends* of course! - EOT campaign for City Breaks

 

The Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) launched a new advertising campaign on Thursday, touting Greece’s attractions as a city break destination. 

Coining the word ‘Greekend,’ the campaign encourages people to “end your week like a Greek,” ekathimerini.com reports.

In its new spot, EOT promotes Athens and Thessaloniki as ideal destinations for travelers looking for a weekend break, stressing the prevailing good weather conditions and easy flight connections.

 It showcases the offerings tourists can enjoy in Greece’s big cities including the coffee culture, local cuisine, art galleries, shopping destinations, and entertainment venues.

“The Tourism Ministry and EOT are launching the City Break campaign, inviting visitors to discover the well-known and hidden corner of Greek cities,” noted Tourism Minister Vasilis Kikilias.

“Hotels in our cities, particularly Athens and Thessaloniki, have suffered due to the pandemic. 

This campaign is the first in a series of initiatives we will carry out, inviting visitors to safely enjoy an authentic Greek weekend in our largest cities,” he continued.

“The pandemic has negatively impacted urban tourism. In many cases, disproportionately to our other tourist destinations,” pointed out EOT General Secretary Dimitris Fragkakis, adding that “the Greekend campaign seeks to promote a complete tourist product, one that is equal to other established European weekend destinations.”

The new campaign is scheduled to initially run for two months in 10 countries including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Israel.

Crete and Rhodes among the top choices for German holidaymakers for next summer

 A survey showed that the Germans want to travel even more despite the Covid constraints 

 

Crete and Rhodes are among the top German choices for next summer vacation, according to the booking site HolidayCheck. In addition, one in three has already decided where and when to take a vacation and has made the relevant reservations.

According to a report in Focus magazine, “the Germans’ desire for travel is uninterrupted, despite the widespread Covid-19 travel constraints in effect since spring 2020.”

According to a survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 34% of respondents have already booked or are planning a holiday trip within the first half of the year.

In terms of destinations this summer, the HolidayCheck website presented the seven most popular for this year which are Turkey, Urganda, and Safaga in Egypt, Mallorca, Crete, Fuerteventura, Canary and Rhodes.

(protothema)