- Inflation may have doubled the price of souvlaki, but Greeks are still going on holiday — just not quite as far, not quite as long, and usually booked the night before.
- Aegina muscled its way into the top five destinations because nothing says “exotic escape” like being able to see Piraeus from your beach chair.
- Agistri recorded the most significant jump, proving that a 55-minute ferry ride beats selling a kidney to reach Santorini.
- Meanwhile, Santorini lost over 5% of its charm, possibly because nobody likes sipping wine with a side of seismic activity.
- Hania on Crete saw a shocking 26% drop, suggesting tourists have finally realized that Instagram filters cannot fix harbor chaos.
The Rise of the “Budget Getaway”
Ferryscanner, the platform that knows more about Greek summer behavior than most relatives, reported that from June to August, domestic travelers adapted to soaring costs by adjusting expectations. Forget two weeks in Santorini — it is now three days in Agistri, and don’t forget to bring your own frappe.
Tinos, Paros, Mykonos, Aegina, and Naxos topped the preference list, with Aegina displacing Syros. That is right: the humble island a stone’s throw from Athens beat out Syros by growing 12.65%: cheaper ferry, shorter travel time, same tan lines.
Agistri, meanwhile, surged 13.46%, because it is close, green, and small enough that you can “explore the island” in about half a day. Kythnos added 5.5% and Kea 2.05%, both proving that Cycladic charm works just fine without maxing your credit card. Even Mykonos went up 5.82%, because apparently not everyone has received the memo about €20 cappuccinos.
The Losers: Santorini and Hania (Crete)
Santorini, the island of perfect sunsets and perfectly overpriced cocktails, dropped 5.33%. Officials blame seismic activity, but perhaps it was just common sense finally kicking in. Meanwhile, Hania in Crete took the most brutal hit, plummeting by 26.54%. Maybe it was the traffic, perhaps the price hikes, or maybe everyone just realized they could not handle another fight for a parking space in the Old Town.
Heraklion, however, gained a small bump in interest. Because when one Cretan port loses, the other picks up the slack.
Greeks are not giving up on their island escapes. They are just shortening the ferry ride, cutting a day or two off the trip, and clicking “book” at the last possible moment. Call it resilience, call it stubbornness, or call it the eternal Greek right to complain about prices while drinking an ouzo by the sea.
