In 6th place in the top ten most popular cities in Europe in terms of flight searches for the July-August period is the Greek capital, following the high performance it has shown since the beginning of the year.

The figures are derived from the analysis of data conducted by specialist air ticketing company Forwardkeys for European city destinations in the peak summer season for the months of July and August 2024.

The data is based on searches made in the first quarter of 2024, January to April.

The two “classic” destinations, London and Paris come first in the list, having even gained share compared to the previous year, followed firmly by Barcelona, while Istanbul and Rome round out the top five.

The Forwardkeys analysis also mentions an interesting fact in relation to the Paris Olympics: Not only the French capital is benefiting from the event, but also the British capital, with a significant increase in searches compared to last year given the multiple connectivity options it offers as a hub for major European capitals.

Athens, follows in 6th place, having however marginally lost share compared to 2023 as has similarly happened with Lisbon, Madrid and Mallorca: Forwardkeys’ analysis points out that based on flight searches in the first quarter of the year for the summer season, these destinations appear with lower shares – even if marginally as is the case in Athens – because they managed to recover very quickly last year the lost ground after the pandemic.

Overall, Forwardkeys predicts a return for travel to Europe this summer to pre-pandemic levels, with a marginal difference of -1% in terms of bookings made in the first quarter of the year for the July-August period, while the corresponding figure appears to be up 13% compared to 2023.

In addition to the flight numbers, for the Greek capital, the data in relation to cruise are also of interest. According to the relevant analysis by hotel management company Square Lime, “the indisputable data should include the constant rise recorded by Athens, due to the stay of cruise customers.

The forecast for 2024 is a 10% increase in cruise ship arrivals, which equates to approximately 225,000 more cruise passengers, with the very largest part of these being the port of Piraeus.

The UK’s largest tour operator, Jet2holidays, has unveiled the Athenian Riviera as a new destination for customers and independent travel agents,” it said.

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In addition, factors that have a direct impact on demand for the capital, as Square Lime’s Sales Director Ms. Katina Papadomanolaki points out, are the overall increased flight capacity from Europe and the US to Athens, as well as upcoming international events, sporting or cultural events such as Coldplay and Sting concerts.

“All of the above, but not only, reflect the nationalities of visitors flocking to Athens, with US customers continuing to lead the way and the UK market remaining extremely strong. However, as expected, there has been a big drop in flows from Israel.”