
A deluge of cancellations for the Epiphany holiday is recorded by the hotels of mountainous and semi-mountainous areas with the hoteliers questioning the positive “image” described in yesterday’s announcement by the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias.
The restrictive measures announced shortly before the New Year, as well as the escalation of the “Omicron” variant, have drastically changed the climate, with the result that the hotel coffers are not “seeing the light” at all during the celebrations of Epiphany.
As reported to ot.gr by Mr. Angelos Kallias, head of the mountain hotel association and public relations supervisor of the Panhellenic Hoteliers Federation (POX) and president of the Drama Hoteliers Association, bookings for the Epiphany holiday until a few days ago were at 60% , but now they have fallen below an average of less than 30% in all the mountain units of the country.
Cancellations were also recorded for the New Year when the measures were announced, but because the demand was high, the gap was filled, but now the same trend is not observed with the demand having decreased sharply, explains Mr. Kallias.
In fact, he announced a joint announcement of all hotel entities representing units of mountain and semi-mountain destinations, which will challenge the “success story” recounted yesterday by Mr. Kikilias, as he characteristically stated and will ask the government for specific support measures.
Apart from the reduced bookings, the hotels of the mountain destinations also have to face significantly increased energy costs.
It is recalled that Mr. Kikilias in his announcement yesterday stated that he contacted the officals of the peak winter tourist destinations and confirmed the recovery of the winter destinations. The announcement does not mention whether Mr. Kikilias also contacted representatives of hotel operators.


Latest News

Corruption Still Plagues Greece’s Driving Tests
While traffic accidents continue to claim lives on Greek roads daily, irregularities and under-the-table dealings in the training and testing of new drivers remain disturbingly widespread

Pope Francis Died of Stroke and Heart Failure Vatican Confirms
As news of the official cause of death spread, tributes poured in from across the globe. The 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church is united in grief, remembering a pope who championed inclusion, justice, and compassion

Increase in Both Museum Visits, Revenues for 2024
As expected, the Acropolis was the top archeological site in the country, followed by Sounion, Mycenae, the ancient theater of Epidaurus, and Vergina in northern Greece

Where Greece’s Tourists Come From: A Look at 2025’s Top Visitor Markets
The United Kingdom continues to hold the top spot as the largest source of incoming tourism, with 5.6 million seats booked for Greece this summer — up 2.2% from last year. This accounts for 20% of all international air traffic to Greece

Pope Francis: A Pontiff Who Reshaped the Papacy and Sparked a Global Conversation
His first words from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica—“Brothers and sisters, good evening”—set the tone for a pontificate that would challenge norms, favor mercy over dogma, and bring the papacy closer to the people.

When Blue Skies was Unmasked as ND’s Political ‘Slush Fund’
The fact that so many top New Democracy (ND) party cadres were paid by the firm Blue Skies, owned by Thomas Varvitsiotis and Yiannis Olympios, without ever citing this publicly, raises very serious moral issues, regardless of the legality

Greek Women’s Water Polo Team Top in the World after 13-9 Win Over Hungary
The Greek team had previously defeated another tournament favorite, the Netherlands, to reach the final.

S&P Raises Greek Rating; BBB with Stable Outlook
S&P’s decision raises the Greek economy to the second notch of investment grade ladder, at BBB with a stable outlook.

Greek Tourism Optimistic About Demand from American Market
A recent survey by MMGY Global, conducted from April 3–5 with a sample of 1,000 U.S. adults, found that 83% of Americans still intend to take leisure trips over the next 12 months, a slight drop from 87% in late February

New Exposé by Domumento Reveals Nefarious Triangular Link of ‘Black Money’ with New Democracy, Blue Skies, & Truth Team
The latest exposé by the Documentonews.gr news site lays bare what appears to be a surreptitious path of indirect financing of ND through the business sector—transactions that, as widely understood, rarely occur without expectations of reciprocal benefit