Crete tops the ranking of Europe’s best islands, as reflected in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards, based on the preferences of travelers from around the world and readers of the leading travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller.

Specifically, Crete is in 4th place, with the Greek islands taking the honors, as 7 are included in this list. Focusing on the Greek islands that the magazine’s readers highlighted in their preferences, these are Paros (3rd place), Skiathos (5th), Rhodes (7th), Zakynthos (12th), Corfu (17th) and Santorini in (18th).

The Greek islands with their excellent accommodation have attracted an international audience, as the authentic experiences they offer continue to attract visitors from all over the world, it was pointed out. Focusing on Crete, the flagship of Greek tourism, based on data released by INSEETE for the eight months of 2024, the development of air arrivals exceeded all expectations.

Specifically, international air arrivals in the period January-August 2024 at Heraklion airport recorded 2.8 million international arrivals, an increase of 5.8% or 153 thousand more arrivals compared to last year. At the same time, Chania airport recorded 1.1 million international arrivals, an increase of 7.6% or 80 thousand more arrivals compared to 2023.

Similarly, domestic arrivals for Crete were also up in the period under review, with Heraklion airport recording 560k arrivals, achieving an 11% increase compared to last year, while Chania recorded 300k arrivals, an increase of 8.3%.

In any case, Crete and the autumn months are moving at a very good pace in arrivals, while many tourist units have already announced that they will extend their operation in mid-November, as a result of the demand for the island in international markets.