With the slogan “Santorini — the all-year island,” Santorini is attempting to extend its hospitality season and attract tourism throughout the year, with over 100 hotel units keeping their doors open this winter.
As part of the initiative presented by Mayor N. Zorzos, hoteliers and other tourism professionals will keep their accommodations and shops open in order to promote tourism on the island beyond the summer season, gradually increasing business on the island year by year.
In addition, the enterprises are cataloguing and profiling Santorini’s outstanding features, including its distinct geomorphological characteristics, the Caldera, its traditional Cycladic fishing villages and its historic vineyards in order to get the island included as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.
Tourism has increased considerably during the summer months over the past few years, especially since 2011. This October, tourism has increased an estimated 34% compared to last October. This increase has overburdened the island, making it necessary to properly manage Santorini’s infrastructure and develop a sound investment strategy.
Currently, Santorini island has sixty-thousand beds with 1.3 million arrivals since 2014, constituting 5 million bookings. In 2012, there were 3.3 million bookings, with 750 thousand arrivals by air and sea.