Crisis hits last-minute German tourism bookings
Greece’s debt crisis has hit tourism, with last-minute bookings falling sharply, although the impact on the industry may be limited because the flareup has come late in the season when most summer holidays are already booked.
The Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises (SETE) said it has seen a 30 percent drop in last-minute bookings, which typically account for one-fifth of bookings to the country.
“We believe that a swift conclusion to the Greek government’s negotiations with the country’s creditors would still give us sufficient time to make up for the loss – as far as possible – in last-minute bookings,” Andreas Andreadis, chairman of the association, said.
Travel website Opodo.de said Greece flight bookings from Germany, which had been tracking the levels of the previous year, suddenly dropped off after June 26, when talks broke down between Greece and its eurozone creditors.
Between June 27 and July 6, daily flight bookings have been down most days by around 30-35 percent from the previous year, with one day showing a decrease of 68 percent, it said in data made available to Reuters.
Other German travel sites Kayak.de and Swoodoo.com, part of the Priceline Group, said in the week before Sunday’s referendum searches for flights to Greece were down 8 percent compared with the previous year.
The reduction in bookings from Germans has been particularly sharp.
[Reuters]
