Tourism in Lesvos is on a positive trajectory this year as well, with increased arrivals via charter flights and increased demand from Turkey, as a result of the institutionalization of the visa. However, the market’s optimism is overshadowed by the “thorn” of the resilience fees, which – as the president of the Lesvos Hoteliers’ Association, Dimitris Vogiatzis, emphasizes in Tornos News – threaten to seriously burden the demand of hotel businesses.
“It was an ill-advised choice. Especially for Lesvos, with a short tourist season, these fees do not help. A fee cannot be disproportionate to the prices we offer. Here the average price per night does not exceed 150 euros – we are not talking about the twenty times higher prices of other destinations”, he notes characteristically.
He warns that the measure will have immediate consequences, while he criticizes the fact that hoteliers are called upon to act as “collection agents” of the state: “It is not possible for the hotelier to assume responsibility for liquidity and risk fines if he is late. The measure must be reviewed immediately”.
Despite the objections, the island recorded positive results. As Mr. Vogiatzis explains, the slight slowdown in the arrivals of Turkish visitors was limited to two-day visits, without affecting the overall result. At the same time, alternative forms of tourism are being developed dynamically, such as birdwatching, with Skala Kalloni attracting dozens of visitors every week during this period for the impressive migratory passage of birds from Russia to Africa. It is estimated that at least 300 visitors come from England, France and Germany every week for this reason.
In his intervention on TN, the president of the island’s hoteliers’ association also makes special reference to the lack of investment incentives on Lesvos, emphasizing that the third largest island in Greece, with 30,000 beds – approximately the same as Santorini – continues to lack investment incentives. “The absence of substantial announcements about tourism by the Prime Minister at the TIF is causing intense concern. “In a dangerous geopolitical environment, the government must more actively support Greek tourism and especially islands like Lesbos,” Mr. Vogiatzis emphasizes, among other things.
