For the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Santorini experiences a decrease in the number of tourists. Unlike previous years, visiting one of the most popular Greek islands, they do not encounter dense crowds. Everything indicates that this year's vacation in Greece will take place in other places.
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As Euronews notes, The earthquake on the island at the beginning of this year discouraged many foreign tourists from choosing it for summer holidays. In recent weeks, the number of arrivals has increased, but this number is far from records from previous years.
“At Santorini, the number of available air places fell by 26 percent. From the beginning of the year to the present. We expect a result with losses of 10-15 percent, “said the president of the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises (SETE), Yannis Paraschis, which Euronews quotes.
Santorini shines empty. Where did tourists go?
President of hoteliers from Santorini, Antonis Pagoni, said that estimates a further decline in tourist traffic And he warned that the effects of this phenomenon would spread to the entire Greek economy.
“General arrivals will fall by about 20-25 percent. Currently, we are dealing with a decrease by up to 30 %. This is a huge decrease in a place like Santorini, which attracts over 3 million visitors. That's 10 percent Greek tourism. We are not sure if Greece can afford to lose these revenues” – said Antonis Pagoni in an interview with Euronews.
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The global crisis of maintenance costs is also reflected in Santorini, and visitors tighten the belt this year. This affects both hotel reservations and local companies that depend on tourist expenses. Even souvenir sellers note that foreign guests spend less.
