The average occupancy rate and the price per room reveal a two-speed hotel market in Greek tourism, as also reflected in the preferences of foreign visitors to this country.
While occupancy rates at higher-category hotels in central Athens, for example, have reached – or in some cases exceeded – pre-pandemic levels, occupancy at units outside the city center remains very weak. The same goes for beach resorts where hotels have been open since Easter, as the occupancy rate of the most luxurious units was 80-90% at Easter, while it was much lower in hotels two or three stars.
Market experts attribute this gap to the quality of service and infrastructure, as well as competition from lower-tier hotels for short-term rentals. According to a survey by the Institute of Tourism Research and Prospective (ITEP) for the Hellenic Hotel Chamber, the average occupancy rate of hotels open all year round was 48.7% in April, and that of hotels urban was 51%, while there is confirmed data showing that in central Athens the rate was around 80%. The same figures reveal that mountain resorts saw two- and three-star hotels that were only 37.7% open there, just as many five-star units in the same category saw occupancy of at least 70 to 75%.
