Greece’s doors are once again open for tourists seeking out a slice of paradise. News from hotel marketing and sales firms speaks now of unprecedented vacation deals alongside hospitaler dedication to traveler safety. If you ever wanted a deserted beach on Crete, or an unobstructed sunset on Santorini, 2020 is the year for it.
Just Grow Hospitality has announced the reopening of many of the hotels included in its portfolio in the hopes of a successful post-COVID-19 pandemic tourism season.
According to the news, the group aims to provide its guests with memorable experiences in a safe, healthy, and stress-free environment. Just Grow Hospitality founder Ioakeim Gritsipis was quoted by GTP saying:
“Our company and the hotels’ owners have made thorough preparations during the last few months in order to inform our customers, meet travelers’ expectations, offer valuable and – above all – safe experiences to all the guests that will visit Greece and our properties.”
Some of the properties already open or scheduled to start operations include Alti Suites, Megalochori, Santorini (open); Theodora Suites, Oia, Santorini (open); Olive Tree Suites, Fira, Santorini (July 1); Andreas Hotel, Kamari, Santorini (July 1); Sail Inn, Kamari, Santorini (July 1); Core Luxury Suites, Pounta, Skiathos (July 1).
In corollary news, research carried out by Ethnos, found that prices have been slashed across all the Greek islands, and especially on Santorini. According to that report, room prices have been slashed 30-40 percent compared to 2019’s prices. Santorini airport opens on July 1 and is preparing to welcome flights from Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Greece marketing and hotel sales professionals we’ve talked to recently tell us, Naxos and other Greek islands are offering unheard of deals given the market demand this year.
Here on Crete, the many resorts and hotels are cutting prices as an added incentive for travelers headed to the island. I spoke briefly with Crete entrepreneur Minas Liapakis, co-founder of the sales and marketing optimizer service RevitUP about the various partners in his network. Here’s what he had to say:
“Most of our partners are offering price incentives to attract guests for a Post-COVID vacations. Interested travelers can expect to see price reductions from 25 to 40 percent across the board, and some resorts are offering additional incentives as well.”
Liapakis mentioned the award-winning Santo Maris Oia offering a re-opening incentive starting from 25 percent off. He also pointed out that bookings for Crete and other islands are a lot better than those for Santorini, at least so far. Liapakis, who also founded EyeWide Digital Marketing Agency, says a list of Crete hotels and offers will be out from next week.
Greece’s exceptional handling of the coronavirus pandemic led to very few cases by comparisons to almost all other nations. The country’s reopening, while tenuous, is a bright spot on an otherwise dismal horizon of business not just in Greece, but around the world. From our recent discussion with hotel owners here on Crete, I can tell you that all these stakeholders are taking guest safety and adherence to regulations very seriously. And many are offering unprecedented deals on paradise.
All things considered, 2020 may be the best deal ever for anyone who ever wanted to travel to Greece. If you are after an 1950s feel as far as crowdedness is concerned, every weekend on the beaches and in tavernas here is a true paradise.
Stay tuned next week for direct reporting on GeekVacation2020.
