Bail-out brings surge in bookings to Greece

Tour operators are rejoicing as bookings to Greece have picked up and exceptional deals abound this summer. Perhaps it is the prospect of the popular destination becoming more affordable, but Trivago said it had seen searches for Greek hotels shoot up by more than a quarter on last year.

The hotel comparison website told Telegraph Travel that interest in Greece was up by 27 per cent compared with 2014 and by 8 per cent on last month. This has translated into sales, with the Association of British Travel Agents confirming that bookings to Greece remain healthy and up year-on-year, with travellers taking advantage of “some exceptional deals”. It said travel agents were reporting an increase in late bookings following the bail-out agreement.

Andreas Andreadis, president of the Greek Tourism Confederation, said: “The fact that up to 800,000 visitors are currently enjoying their holiday in Greece, and a similar number were here throughout the economic difficulties, shows that holidays to Greece really haven’t been affected by the economic difficulties.

“With the stronger pound and the many holiday bargains that exist at the moment, this is an ideal time to visit.”

Chris Wright, managing director of tour operator Sunvil, said that, while bookings to Greece had been ahead at the start of the year, from February they slowed. “Last week, after the announcement of a potential deal, confidence in travel to Greece improved,” he said, “and with the reopening of banks on Monday we’ve seen another bounce in confidence.”

Thomas Cook said its bookings had been strong, with fewer “lates” left to sell compared with last year. It said

Travellers have been tempted back by the exceptional deals on offer

it still had some “amazing” deals. Booking.com reported year on year global bookings to Greece were up by 41 per cent in the first half of 2015.

Deals currently available include a saving of more than £500 on a villa holiday in Skopelos and £600 off a hotel stay for a family of four in Corfu.

The Foreign Office is still advising to take sufficient euros to cover all expenses while in Greece, however, with banks providing limited services.

Greece is still proving a popular destination, with tourists flocking to islands such as Symi, in the Aegean Sea