There has so far been a 50% increase for Easter bookings in Mallorca compared with last year.

There has so far been a 50% increase for Easter bookings in Mallorca compared with last year. | MDB files

Andrew EdePalma12/02/2022 09:40
TW
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Vasilis Kikilias is a former basketball player. He represented the Greek national team and is now the country’s tourism minister. On Thursday, he told a gathering of international media that Easter in Greece has been sold out.

Greece gets two cracks at the Easter whip, as the Orthodox Easter is a week later than that of western churches. For Greece’s tourism, therefore, this can be nothing but beneficial. Whether Greece is sold out across both Easters, Mr. Kikilias didn’t say, but he was in distinctly bullish mood. Greece will be kicking off with a touristic slam dunk.

Greece’s tourist capacity and numbers are well short of Spain’s. In 2019, Greece attracted 31.3 million tourists, Spain 83.7 million. This lower capacity perhaps therefore makes filling the country up with tourists more attainable. Whether Greece will be full to capacity is unlikely, as Mr. Kikilias was doubtless deploying some licence. Nevertheless, he was, for example, pointing to a TUI doubling of tourist numbers for this year.

On the one hand, this was all part of the game that destinations play in seeking to press home competitive advantage. Look at how popular we are! On the other, it was a statement pointing to what increasingly appears to be the recovery of tourism, and not just in Greece.

A report for the Pimem federation of small to medium-sized business, compiled by data analysts, indicates that there has so far been a 50% increase for Easter bookings in Mallorca compared with last year.

Not full up, but the road to recovery is undeniable.