“September is considered the new August” – how the latest tourist trend of Turkey’s main competitor for European tourists – Greece – was described in the local media. In other words, the high summer tourist season is clearly and actively shifting to September.
Greece was in third place for the growth in the number of bookings for September – the number of overnight stays increased by 96% compared to last year. It should be noted that Poland managed to take first place – there this growth amounted to 161%, and in second place – also the Mediterranean direction, Croatia – there the increase in September was 129%.
So, in general, the overall European trend for recreation is as follows: demand shifts from the beginning of summer to the “velvet season”. If in general in Europe the number of reservations for September increased by almost 78% compared to last year, then in June the increase does not exceed 13%. In the high summer season, the increase is also inferior to September – 40%.
The Greek mass media evaluate these indicators as encouraging. They show that the trend of “last-minute bookings” among European tourists has passed, for now, they are ready to plan their holidays.
“Booking trends this year show a shift in traveler behavior both in terms of when to book and in terms of the extended peak season. Historically, September was considered the end of the summer tourist season in Europe,” experts said.