Global tourism is moving in uncharted waters, as the Omicron mutation that parades has frozen the reservations for the summer season of 2022 and travel restrictions, lockdowns and uncertainty for the next day, prevail.

But can the current situation affect the start and development of the tourist season in our country? Will we be able to remain for the third consecutive year, a “monopoly” in the Mediterranean? Will the forecasts for a full recovery of the tourist flow to our country be confirmed, and in fact with increases from the main markets?

Certainly an important prediction for the beginning and the development of the 2022 season, but it will be motivated, since COVID-19 disease has and continues to refute predictions and estimates. In fact, the new ones are so rapid and abrupt, since no one expects the mutation to literally bring ups and downs in world tourism, within a few days, through the festive period.

The almost absolute freezing of bookings recorded last month for Greece but also applies to the rest of the Mediterranean countries, may not mean anything for the start or development of the season, if the good scenario is verified. That is, the spread of the new Omicron mutation should peak in January and therefore begin to decline in February, so that bookings recover immediately and will probably not be affected. But if the current situation continues, or a new mutation appears, surely the start of the tourist season will start later than planned. The basic fact that our country should not be overlooked, is that the last two years, in 2020 and 2021, our main competing destinations, either opened their borders later than us, or with great restrictions, or did not open at all. The countries of North Africa, in particular, remained virtually closed for two seasons and of course, as everything shows, they will open this year with great expectations.

The estimates of the experts in NEWS 24/7

Bookings for the summer of 2022 reached record levels, in September and October last year, above the levels of 2018 and 2019, while since November they have been frozen, due to the negative climate, but there are no cancellations. . This he stated in NEWS 24/7 Mr. Michalis Vamiedakis, President of Greece and CEO of Allsun Hotels and development consultant of Danaos Travel. “At the moment we can not insure for the start of the season, but if we assume that the mutation The little one will weaken in February, bringing calm to European societies and then bookings will pick up pace and April will be ‘saved,'” he said. Vamiedakis, emphasizing that the big question is who and how many other Mediterranean destinations will open this year. “It is very difficult to be a monopoly in the Mediterranean for the third year. If major destinations such as Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco open from early on, as of course Spain with Turkey, then the pie will be shared. Especially the destinations of North Africa, will drop the prices to gain tourists and the lost land, while Turkey has the advantage of the devalued pound. Many travelers have missed them since they do not visit them for two years, but they will definitely attract, when they open, travelers who decide with purely price criteria. “We must not be complacent”, says Mr. Vamiedakis.

The reservations are frozen at this time and after the outbreak of the Omicron mutation, but it is still early for predictions, as we do not know what will happen in the future, he emphasizes in NEWS 24/7 Mr. Dimitris Haritidis, President and CEO of TEZ TOUR Greece, one of the largest tour operators in our country, which brings tourists from Russia and the Baltic countries. He states that the company’s goal for the 2022 season is to increase the number of Russian tourists to our country. “Throughout this summer, as today, there are only regular flights to and from specific airports in Russia and Greece. However, Elpida is not approved by the Russian authorities of the agreement recently signed by the Civil Aviation Services of the two countries, which includes a sufficient number of flights for the 2022 season “. Mr. Haritidis says that there is an intention to increase the tourist flow from the Baltic countries to Greece, but a trend that seems even stronger for the destination Turkey. “Air ticket prices are expected to increase and the price of the package will increase, only the hotels kept the prices at the levels of 2021 because the contracts were made in the summer, with minimal increases of 3-5%”, points out Mr. Charitidis.

In his well-established interview at the end of the year, TUI CEO Fritz Joussen stressed that the data show that the expectations of the largest tour operator in the world for a good season in 2022 will continue. «It is still too early for a realistic forecast for the summer of 2022. But we are optimistic that tourism will be able to recover to 2019 levels next summer. At the same time, we already know from 2021 that the reservations will be made much later and not so early “, Mr. Joussen pointed out.

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