Patra Tourism Picks Up Pace Boosted by Culture & Shopping Program

Photo Source: Municipality of Patra

The seaside town of Patra is beginning to see its efforts pay off as more than 61,000 tourists have already booked their holidays there for the summer ahead, the Achaia Chamber said recently.

According to chamber data, the tiny Araxos Airport serving the region is expecting 320 aircraft with 35,000 tourists from Germany, France, Austria, Poland and Switzerland and 160 flights with 26,000 tourists from Russia and Belarus reaching an estimated 61,000 visitors against 33,000 last year.

Local authorities are citing the increased numbers to the Achaia Chamber’s Culture & Shopping program running in collaboration with three international tour operators and local businesses and launched four years ago with the aim to attract foreign travelers to the the port city for tours and shopping.

The program, co-funded by the Achaia Chamber and participating businesses, is gaining ground with 240 coach tours for some 8,500 visitors already planned for the June-October period this year. For each, trip the Chamber organizes a raffle with gifts including local products. The Chamber has also printed 20,000 maps of the city in German, French, English and Russian, to be distributed by tour operators and hotels in the Achaia and Ilia regions.