Travel analytics firm ForwardKeys has unveiled a recent jump in international flight bookings to Greece, Portugal, and Spain as the tourist destinations announce the easing of travel restrictions.
While nearly no new international flight bookings were made for April and May due to Covid-19 lockdowns, ForwardKeys said a hike began to form towards end-May following a series of announcements by southern European governments eager to welcome tourists for the summer season.
ForwardKeys VP of Insights Olivier Ponti announced that the European aviation market was “in a state of suspended animation with nearly no new bookings” for most of April and May. Yet, he pointed out that “when governments tell people they are again allowed to travel, bookings immediately start to come back.”
Greece, Portugal, and Spain have recently announced an easing of restrictions. This has kickstarted the region’s booking market, according to the ForwardKeys data.
The ForwardKeys data indicates that 2020 booking levels are still way behind 2019, but there were noticeable spikes at the time of announcements
On May 20, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that the country would open its doors to foreign tourists from July 1. Similar announcements were then made by Portugal’s Foreign Minister, Augusto Santos Silva and Pedro S?nchez, Spain’s Prime Minister.
According to Forwardkeys, markets reacted immediately and between May 20 – June 3, the number of international flight tickets issued for Greece increased from effectively zero to 35 per cent of what they were during the same period in 2019.
In the 12 days from May 22, – June 3, the number of international flight tickets issued for Portugal, rose from effectively zero to 35 per cent of what they were during the same period in 2019 and in the 11 days from May 23 – June 3, the uplift in Spain has reached 30 per cent.
“A closer analysis by type of traveler reveals that there has been a very similar pattern of recovery in all destinations. Leisure travelers account for the bulk of new tickets, but recovery has been stronger amongst ex-pats and people visiting friends and relatives (VFR). In that niche, air tickets to Greece, Portugal, and Spain, reached 89 percent, 87 percent, and 54 percent of 2019 levels, respectively,” Forwardkeys noted.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
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