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Problems in Northern Africa May Help Hotels in Greece

According to the head of Hellenic Hotel Federation, this summer hotels in Greece may get additional 10% in tourist arrivals. The reason for that is in turmoil in North Africa.

According to Andreas Andreadis, the president of Hellenic Hotel Federation, Greece already experiences higher level of bookings. Britons, the company that acquires around 14% of tourism in Greece, tells bookings for spring and summer 2011 are already 10% higher than in 2010. In his interview to Bloomberg Mr. Andreadis mentions, hotels in Germany have got an increase of 5%, while accommodations in Russia are booked 20% more often comparing to the previous year.

This trend is possible mostly because of decrease in popularity of hotels in Tunisia and Egypt. These destinations are traditionally popular for family tourism. Travelers with kids usually make bookings early as they plan their rest beforehand, so they need high level of certainty. Currently North Africa is not a calm place and so this makes family travellers seeking other destinations for rest.

Greek hotels are very happy with increased bookings. The tourism industry takes around one fifth of the total workforce in the country. Last year hotels showed really weak performance with occupancy rates falling down for around 8%. Such trend had a negative impact on many hotels. This summer they have a chance to improve their positions. Moreover, Andreadis forecasts such influx of tourists will help hotels to stop offering discounted rates.

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