The Agora > Holidays in Hellas

Longer season?

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Maik:

--- Quote ---The Institute of Tourism Research and Forecasts (ITEP) proposed in Tuesday a series of measures to lengthen the Greek tourism season.

Among ITEP’s proposals were local deals with tourism professionals coordinated by the Tourism Ministry, a reduction in third-party levies on hotel rates and tax exemptions to tourism businesses involved in season extension programs.

The ITEP report presented yesterday showed that the islands of the Ionian and the Southern Aegean, as well as Crete, have the shortest tourism season in the country.
--- End quote ---
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite2_1_14/10/2014_543739

Maik:

--- Quote ---TUI to trial extended summer season for Greece

TUI Travel is hoping to trial an extended summer season to Greece for 2015 by starting to sell earlier departures.

The tour operator said that plans between the Greek Government and their Greek partners were still to be agreed.

Peter Long, chief executive of TUI Travel PLC... told the Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, that the company aimed for the growth in passenger numbers for 2015 to be similar to this year, which was 10%.

In return he asked for a greater link between local producers and hotels to help boost local economic spend and increase customer satisfaction and to encourage development in the smaller Greek islands.

He also called for improvements to the infrastructure for regional airports, roads, cruise ports and marinas and for Greece to invest in its people with modern tourism education.
--- End quote ---
http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2013750

HiFi:
I wonder if it's worth asking the Greek Orthodox Church to move Easter to the end of March each year.
That way Kef business owners will know the season has started as Easter seems to be their guide.

Maik:
Rarely any customers around until Easter, when many Greeks return to the island during the festival period. If TUI succeed in bringing more people in I'd think more businesses will be open to cater for them. This might be a bit optimistic:


--- Quote ---Greece's biggest challenge in tourism for 2015 will be to extend the holiday season to twelve months a year and increase investments in the sector, the country's Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said.
--- End quote ---
http://www.hri.org/news/greek/ana/2014/14-10-21.ana.html#24

Aristarches:
The season always ran from 1/5 to 31/10, or thereabouts, unless Easter was late, ie end of April, when businesses opened early and stayed open.    I have taken holidays in Greece in April and had others at the end of October when the flight home was in early November.  The flights to and from where not empty.  The shortened season was the result of relatively decisions made by tour companies, particularly TUI and Thomas Cook. 

All this BS about negotiating lower rates is, of course, just another money making scheme.  And just another example of tour companies' telling the customer what he wants instead of finding out what he wants.

The season could run 12 months if the government and others thought beyond the standard sun, sea, sex and booze packages.  After all, when Byron toured Greece he waited until the summer was over because in those days only an idiot travelled through Greece in the summer.

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