When it comes to attracting visitors for what is shaping up to be a huge summer travel season, it really pays for destinations to get out ahead of the pack, Forbes notes in an article in which it explains why Greece is the most-booked European destination for summer.
The magazine reports that Greece already has a jump on its E.U. partners. The gorgeous Mediterranean nation is already open to travelers inoculated against Covid-19, and that has fueled something of a boom.
On the travel deal-finding site Hopper, bookings to Europe are up 38% in May compared to April, and travelers are looking for places they can go with little hassle. While many Americans are already booking flights to the usual suspects — London, Paris, Madrid, and Rome — in anticipation of the E.U. bloc’s reopening, it’s clear that Greece’s head start has paid off.
So far this month, Hopper users have booked more summer flights to Greece than to anywhere else in Europe. Overall, booking volume for Athens is “up significantly” compared to this time in 2019, notes Adit Damodaran, the site’s economist.
And there’s another big reason why Americans are booking getaways to Greece, points out Damodaran. Flights from the U.S. to Athens cost 18% less this summer than they did in 2019.
Greenlighting vaccinated travelers before most of the Continent clearly got the attention of the major airlines. There have never been so many non-stop flights from the U.S. to Greece, with new routes to Athens from Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
The upshot is that Greece is not only cheaper but more convenient than in past years. And once in Athens, travelers can easily connect to one of Greece’s sensational islands, like Mykonos, Santorini, or Corfu.
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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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