Forbes: Greece Most-booked European Destination for Summer

Thanks to its open travel policy, Greece appears to be getting a head start over its rival markets seeing bookings rise this month.

A report in Forbes, which cites booking platform Hopper user data, found that prospective travelers have booked more summer flights to Greece than to anywhere else in Europe. 

According to the site’s economist, Adit Damodaran, booking volume for Athens is “up significantly” compared to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic broke out.

Besides Greece’s decision to re-open to tourists, flights from the US to Athens are 18 percent cheaper compared to 2019 giving Americans one more reason to choose a Greek destination. 

At the same time, Forbes goes on to add that never before have there been so many non-stop flights from the US to Greece, with dozens of new routes to Athens from Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

Bookings through Hopper to Europe are also up 38 percent in May compared to April as more travelers search for places they can visit hassle-free. It should be noted that travelers can visit Greece by either presenting proof of vaccination, a negative PCR test result taken 72 hours before travel, or a Covid-19 recovery certificate. 

Additionally, Forbes also cites the ease with which holidaymakers visiting Athens can easily connect to one of the many Greek islands.

“Athens and Lisbon are both up significantly in booking volumes compared to this time in 2019, with Lisbon offering particularly good deals on airfare,” says Damodaran.