Greek Hotels’ Digital Client Roster Getting Bigger in Q1

Online bookings for Greek hotels grew by 57 percent in the first four months of the year, according to data collected by digital marketing experts Nelios in collaboration with tourism consultants Axia Hospitality.

The figures were based on a sample of 260 client hotels in all categories across Greece, after assessing input provided by Google Analytics, WebHotelier, online travel agencies and property management systems.

Apart form the increase in online bookings, hotel revenues from digital reservations also rose by 112 percent, the figures show. Meanwhile, the majority of online reservations over the four-month period were made by Arab, American and Finnish travelers for the most part on mobile phones up by 73.15 percent, with Athens, the Cyclades and the Ionian Islands at the top of their selections.

Bookings from personal computers increased by 58.85 percent with relevant revenue up by 73 percent compared to the same quarter in 2017. According to the report, travelers from the United Arab Emirates (250 percent rise), the US (132.9 percent), Finland (104 percent) and Canada (100 percent) were the top digital users in terms of booking Greek hotels.

On the downside, Aegean island destinations with the exception of the Cyclades failed to win over digital users, with Nelios/Axia Hospitality data revealing that only 35.2 percent of all bookings in the first quarter were made online compared to 65.4 percent for the Cyclades and 64 percent for the Ionian.

Benefiting from the digital era were hotel businesses in Athens and the Cyclades, demonstrated by a 13 percent rise in room rates in the former and 12 percent in the latter destination. Indicatively, 74 percent of all bookings in Athens were made online.

At the same time, according to the same report the average duration of stay increased to 5.6 nights compared to 4.4 nights in the corresponding four-month period in 2017.