Greek islands as well as alternative European destinations or those that favor short road trips in the surrounding areas, such as Marseille, Majorca, Bordeaux and Istanbul, are in the preferences of Greek travelers for the long weekend of Pentecost.
According to what Aegean Airlines bookings show, there is an increase in passenger traffic for this weekend. Greek islands, but also some less expected destinations, either in Greece or abroad, rank high among preferences.
The top five domestic destinations from the Athens hub are: Skiathos, Kythira, Ikaria, Milos and Mytilini, while from the Thessaloniki hub they are: Santorini, Limnos, Kos, Mykonos and Paros.
The top five international destinations from Athens are Marseille, Istanbul, Malta, Venice, Majorca, while from Thessaloniki it is Rome, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Frankfurt.
However, in terms of travelers’ preferences, the Cyclades are still a favorite destination for Greeks, especially the younger generation. Also, destinations such as Iraklio, Hania and Rhodes always remain up high and tend to experience last-minute bookings.
In fact, for today, Friday, June 21, the average occupancy reaches 95% from Aegean’s hubs of Athens and Thessaloniki for domestic destinations.
In the destinations abroad from the hub of Athens, there is a growing tendency to travel to alternative European destinations or destinations that favor short road trips in the surrounding areas, such as Marseille, Majorca, Bordeaux, but also Istanbul, while Thessaloniki seems to choose more popular destinations, such as Rome, Berlin, Barcelona, etc.
Based on Aegean’s data,return traffic starts mainly on the day of the Holy Spirit, June 24, but peaks a day after, on June 25, at both bases, Athens and Thessaloniki, with equally high occupancy rates. The foreign destinations present a similar picture, with the difference being that passengers departing from Thessaloniki seem to return on Monday, while several passengers returning to the Athens airport tend to extend their stay at their destination of their choice by one more day.
Finally, it is noted that despite the high occupancy rates and the few tickets that are still available, it is never too late for “last-minute opportunities” in various destinations, such as Iraklio and Ioannina in Greece or Warsaw, Sofia, Paris, Bucharest but also Dubai for some foreign destinations.
