Chalkidiki, Greece – Even though the tourist season in Chalkidiki started later this year, it is expected to end with similar numbers to last year. Gregoris Tasios, President of the Chalkidiki Hotel Association, mentioned that while the season was shorter by about 20 days, the region still saw a strong number of visitors, especially those traveling by car from nearby countries.
“We had a busy period in May due to Easter, but the main arrivals started on June 20th. Last year, the season lasted 100 days, mainly due to road tourists from the Balkans, but this year it’s about 80 days,” Tasios explained. He noted that there was an increase in visitors from countries like Kosovo, Bosnia, and Turkey, with many Turkish tourists favoring the first peninsula of Chalkidiki.
About 50% of all tourists arrived by road, which means nearly one million visitors came by car. Many chose hotels, while others preferred rental properties or short-term stays, leading to concerns about unfair competition, according to Tasios.
Call for Better Border Infrastructure
Tasios highlighted the need to improve infrastructure at land borders and suggested setting up a Tourism Observatory to track the number of arrivals by road better. He pointed out that there is currently no way to count visitors based on nationality.
Most road tourists in Chalkidiki come from Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia. Tasios expects the region’s hotels to match last year’s performance, with the season likely ending in mid-October, driven by an increase in visitors from Western Europe in September.
Romanians, Serbs, and Bulgarians Lead Road Tourism
Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia are the main countries bringing road tourists to Greece. Romania’s top destinations for road travelers are Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. However, ongoing repairs to the Friendship Bridge between Romania and Bulgaria, along with long wait times, may affect the flow of tourists to these countries, according to George Kakoutis, Head of the Hellenic Tourism Office (EOT) in Serbia, who also oversees Romania.
For Romanians traveling by car, popular Greek destinations include Thassos, Chalkidiki, Pieria, Kavala, Lefkada, Samothraki, and Evia. Lefkada has become more popular recently due to its easy road access, although there are also direct flights to Aktion.
In Bulgaria, road tourism remains strong, with top destinations being Chalkidiki and the coastal areas of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, such as Kavala and Nea Peramos. More than 96% of Bulgarian tourists travel independently, mostly by car.
Serbia’s easy road access to Greece continues to support road tourism. The number of Serbian visitors entering Greece has significantly increased this year. According to the Serbian Association of Travel Agents (Y.U.T.A.), the summer season is going well, with Greece remaining the top choice for Serbian tourists. More than one million Serbs are expected to visit Greece this year, with popular destinations including Chalkidiki (Sithonia), Pieria, the Ionian Islands, Thassos, Skiathos, Corfu, and Evia.
source: www.halkidikinews.gr
