Greek hoteliers achieved a 5-7% increase in contracts with tour operators after tough negotiations for the 2025 tourist season. Greek tourism has a significant dependence on international tour operators.
According to a recent report by the European Hotel and Catering Association (Hotrec), the market share of tour operators in Greek hotel bookings reaches 26% and with upward trends (19.4% in 2013) when the European average is close to 7.1%.
The increase in contracts is not the same in all categories and destinations, however it gives a breather to the hotel business, since part of the increase in operating and energy costs will be covered.
Hoteliers and negotiations with tour operators
Most of the contracts concern popular summer destinations, while their share in city hotels is minimal. The new contracts with tour operators come ahead of a season where tourism and hotels are facing significant challenges.
Factors in the field note that hotels are not reaping the increase in arrivals as they are under a lot of pressure from short-term leases, while on the other hand costs are increasing (energy, operational, etc.)
Occupancies and pressure from Airbnb
The occupancy rates of hotels during the peak months essentially remain at the same levels in recent years, while in some destinations there is also a small decrease due to… Airbnb.
Demand is expected to be affected by the state of the economy in major foreign markets such as Germany, Great Britain, France, USA, etc. while new “dangers” such as climate change and “hypertourism” which in our country only exists in the frequent reports of the international press, affect habits and trends.
Previous research shows that although the sun-sea model remains powerful, there is a small “shift” of tourists either in less warm months or to more northern destinations.
Research by the consulting company Dr. Fried & Partner on behalf of Germany’s largest alliance of travel agencies, the Quality Travel Alliance, reports that two out of three German travel agents are convinced that hypertourism will have a moderate to strong effect on travelers’ booking behavior in the future.
Occupancies are stable
According to the latest data of the monthly survey (panel) of the Institute of Tourism Research and Forecasting (ITEP) carried out on behalf of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (ΥΕΕ) the average occupancy in hotels for July 2024 is estimated at 82.8%, at approximately the same levels compared to last year.
There is a difference in average occupancy between continuous and seasonal hotels.
The average asking price of a double room for June 2024 was €174, compared to €153 for the same month in 2023, an increase of 13.7%, reflecting strong demand.
The beds
Strong demand also reflected in the figures for the number of short-term rental beds between 2023 and 2024.
According to INSETE, a significant increase is recorded during the first half of 2024. From January to June, the number of beds increased steadily, reaching levels in June +85 thousand beds higher than the corresponding ones in 2023.
Source: ot.gr
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