Organised campsites in Chalkidiki, in northern Greece, are recording occupancy of up to 95% this summer, with demand holding strong into the first half of September, as budget camping holidays regain ground among Greek and foreign travellers alike.

Antonis Delidimitriou, head of the Chalkidiki Camping Association, said in comments to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the Greek state news agency, that this year’s season had been particularly strong, with bookings for the region beginning as early as January.

“Business is very good. From late June to late August occupancy has held steady between 90% and 95%, and there is already interest for the first half of September,” he said.

More Greeks turning to camping over cost

One of the season’s notable trends is the growing share of domestic visitors. According to Delidimitriou, Greeks now account for up to 40% of campsite customers, as rising hotel and travel costs push more families towards cheaper holiday options.

“Greeks are mainly opting for short trips close to home, cutting back on longer journeys to save money,” he said.

For a family of four, a night at an organised campsite costs between 40 and 55 euros depending on the site and facilities, while couples pay roughly 25 to 35 euros. Prices have broadly stayed at last year’s levels, he said, with any increases capped at around 10%.

From the Balkans to Germany, and more Turkish visitors this year

Chalkidiki continues to draw strong numbers from the Balkans, with Bulgarian, Romanian and Serbian tourists making up a significant share of visitors. Germans, Austrians and Dutch travellers also remain a steady presence, many arriving by road in motorhomes. The Turkish market has been particularly buoyant this year, especially around Poteidaia, following a noticeable dip last year.

Road access remains a key advantage for Balkan visitors travelling to northern Greece, with Thessaloniki serving as the main gateway to Chalkidiki.

Sithonia still the region’s top draw

Sithonia remains the strongest destination for organised camping tourism in Chalkidiki, with the highest concentration of sites and visitors, while Possidi, on the Kassandra peninsula, remains especially popular with younger holidaymakers.

Chalkidiki currently has 25 organised campsites in operation, down from 27 last year, with around 19 of these in Sithonia and four on the region’s third peninsula.

Positive picture across Greece

The strong performance is not confined to Chalkidiki. Delidimitriou, who until recently served as president of the Panhellenic Camping Association, a role now held by Konstantinos Demiris, from Patras, said May had seen occupancy rise by at least 10% year on year, while June brought occupancy of up to 70% at many of Greece’s 293 organised campsites, also up around 10% on the previous year.

July followed a similar pattern, with northern Greece performing particularly well, and Delidimitriou expects August to close on a positive note for the sector.

Bookings for September and October are already significant, mainly in southern Greece, while demand in the north is expected to hold until mid-September and, in some cases, until the end of the month.

“We are a serious industry”

Beyond the strong demand, Delidimitriou also raised the issue of protecting organised campsites, stressing that operators continually invest in infrastructure and services.

“The people who run these campsites are professionals who love what they do. Every year they invest to keep their guests happy, and many of those guests become friends along the way,” he said. “We are a serious industry.” He also called on the state to carry out more systematic checks and adopt a longer-term strategy for the sector.

The battle with unauthorised camping

Unauthorised camping remains a persistent concern for the industry. Delidimitriou argues that the issue goes beyond simply breaking the law, pointing to the environmental damage and additional costs it places on local communities. “It might look like the more natural option, but it creates environmental problems, harms professional operators and burdens municipalities,” he said.

With prices holding relatively affordable and household demand for budget breaks still strong, organised camping appears to be carving out a bigger place on Greece’s tourism map. In Chalkidiki, where the season can extend well beyond August, operators are already reporting a summer of occupancy levels that point to particularly strong demand.