Key Tourism Figures 2018: George Hatzimarkos, Governor of South Aegean Region
The Cyclades and the Dodecanese islands are not only about sun and beautiful beaches. They are History. They are Culture.
In the South Aegean Region, on the Cyclades and Dodecanese islands, is where the heart of Greek tourism beats. It is the Region that each year is proclaimed national champion in tourism and strong pillar of the Greek economy.
Continuing the striking performance of 2016, our region’s islands in 2017 saw the bulk of travel earnings and the highest rate of overnight stays in the country, according to data provided by the Bank of Greece. The average expenditure per visitor showed an increase compared to 2016 only in the South Aegean; the Region with the largest number of hotel beds as well as the largest number of 5-star hotels. A similar performance is expected also for the year of 2018.
The above-mentioned figures, which reflect the strong influence of the South Aegean on the total tourist product of our country, are the greatest reward for our Region’s strategic choice to work with dedication on tourism, on terms that suit a champion.
The possibilities of our islands are endless. Our aim has been and remains to highlight their uniqueness and we do so by investing in extroversion, having as our central motto Aegean Islands-Like No Other. We work intensively on this using the most modern tools for promoting our islands’ tourism as experiential tourism, linking the South Aegean tourist product with culture, sports and gastronomy.
The possibilities of our islands are endless. Our aim remains to highlight their uniqueness… having as our central motto Aegean Islands-Like No Other.
We do not remain spectators in the developments; we play a leading role in the development of the local tourism strategy, which is in fact a national tourist strategy considering that the South Aegean, as the national tourist champion with the most important worldwide destination brands of Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes and Kos, holds 40% of the share of the Greek tourism market.
We have developed and we are currently implementing an integrated strategic program of tourism promotion for our 50 islands, preserving the unique identity of each one, thus giving the visitor the opportunity to experience the authentic tourism dimension of the 50 different destinations that may be a single geographical complex but actually constitute 50 different options.
We are readapting our ways of approach by adding extra pieces to the puzzle and by including in the discussion the modern needs of constantly growing societies and of visitors who are constantly looking for new experiences and attractive suggestions.
With respect towards the millions of our visitors, we continue for the best. The South Aegean is the ideal holiday destination all year round. The Cyclades and the Dodecanese islands are not only about sun and beautiful beaches. They are History. They are Culture. They are the footprints that each place has left along the European and the global historical path. This is a “path” in time that every visitor is worth “walking” on.