Safe, value for money and on the 2016 holiday wish list. Those are the findings of a survey carried out for the SETE Institute, the research arm of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), on prospective British, German and US visitors to Greece this year.
Responding to questions by independent London-based survey specialists Censuswide, more than a third of those surveyed replied that they would like to visit Greece this year, with up to 80% saying that they considered Greece a safe holiday destination.
Likewise, holidays in Greece were ranked significantly better value for money than those in main competitor destinations. Almost half of British respondents and 40% of Germans said that Greece was better value than Spain, Italy and France.
The questions were designed to explore the impact of recent terrorism attacks in other countries and the relative cost of holidays. Only around 10% of British, German and US travellers questioned said they were put off visiting Greece due to terrorist acts elsewhere. On the other hand, almost half of British respondents and 40% of Germans said they have been put off travelling to Turkey.
They were also asked about how the European migration issue might affect their travel plans in 2016. Whilst 30-45% of respondents said that the refugee situation was an issue for them as far as Greece is concerned, the negative impact appears relatively greater for France and only marginally lower for Croatia. The negative impact for Greece therefore appears outweighed by the sense of safety and value-for-money and the attraction that Greece holds for holidaymakers.
Some 3,046 people who had previously visited Greece were questioned by Censuswide, between 21-25 January.
“The evident desire to visit Greece this year and overwhelming view of the country as a safe and good-value holiday destination are yet another vote of confidence for Greek tourism, after three successive years of record visitor arrivals,” said Greek Tourism Confederation president Andreas Andreadis.
“The rise in visitor numbers to Greece in recent years has been matched by a constant upgrading of the experiences and facilities that make those holidays so special. This latest vote of confidence in the country inspires us all to reach even greater heights.”
