Greece is experiencing a “tourist surge” after the pandemic, according to the correspondent of the first channel of the German public television
Greek summer is a favourite destination for German tourists as they are longing for the Greek sun. And as the correspondent of the first channel of the public television ARD points out on the website of the news program Tagesschau, many Greek hotels in the Greek islands are already overcrowded. Even Athens is welcoming more tourists than before the pandemic. Greece is experiencing a tourism boom after being hit hard by the coronavirus. The correspondent visited not only the Greek capital but also a very favourite German destination, Rhodes. The hoteliers, as he describes, are completing the renovations of their hotels to welcome visitors. Reservation lists are full, as tourists can’t wait to get there.

“Unlike in the past, urban tourism is already booming in the last weeks of winter,” he wrote on tagesschau.de. “The war in Ukraine seems distant. Jenny, the owner of a cafe in Plaka, is amazed by the crowds on the streets, and apart from the Greeks, there are already many foreigners in Plaka, unbelievably many. Business is much better than before the pandemic. The German tourist group TUIexpects that this year will bring more tourists to Greece than in 2019, a record year before Covid. The low-cost airline Easyjet offers half a million more seats on its flights between Britain and Greece than before the crisis. Holidays in Greece are sought after, while the Association of Greek Tourist and Travel Agencies is also optimistic”. Tourism officials, with whom the German correspondent spoke, confirm that this year there is increased interest compared to previous disastrous years, but can not confirm whether the record year of 2019 will be repeated.

“But even the comparison with the record result of all seasons of 2019 would be a success for the tourism industry of Greece after the years of lean cows,” notes the columnist. “No country in Europe is as dependent on tourism as Greece. One in five euros in the country is earned from tourism, every 5th job also depends on tourism… To balance the demand the Greek government decided to promote the start of the tourist season earlier than Orthodox Easter in April, in early March. German travel agents are praising Greece, among other things, for good health protocols and transparency (in the process).”

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