Hoteliers offer super-low rates to attract more British bookings
Owners of lessexpensive hotel units at 20 popular destinations in Greece are trying to bolster bookings from the British market for the upcoming tourism season by offering rates starting from as low as 3.50 euros per person per night (pppn) – far below cost.
These extremely low rates are being offered for off-season periods from a specialized UK tour operator that is a member of the Association of British Travel Agents, and concern areas such as Rhodes, Corfu and Crete.
There are also rates as low as 4.50 euros pppn for Parga in Epirus, 6 euros for Kos, 7 euros for Zakynthos, 8 euros for Lefkada and Lesvos, 9 euros for Paros and Naxos, 10 euros for Halkidiki and Evia, 11.50 euros for Skiathos, Ios and Samos, 13 euros for Poros, Kalymnos and Pieria, and 14 euros for Cephalonia.
By offering such low rates, the Greek hoteliers are trying to capitalize on the favorable conjuncture for the country, which is consid- ered a safe destination, unlike a number of others in the Eastern Mediterranean that face terrorism issues, such as Turkey.
Many hotel owners resorted to the same strategy last fall, leading to growth in bookings that boosted Greece’s overall tourism traffic. This has been confirmed by a Greek National Tourism Organization survey that monitored 13 entry points and 2,179 international tourists in October: They responded that the main reasons for choosing Greece as a fall destination were better prices, mild weather and fewer holidaymakers.