Poll: Cost-conscious Greeks Prefer Beach Holidays This Year

Financially pressed Greeks are choosing beach holidays this year, according to a study released by Athens-based research firm Focus Bari in collaboration with YouGov.

Carried out in July on a representative sample of 9,477 people aged 18 to 64, the study titled “Greeks: Trips & Holidays” reveals that more than half (53 percent) are vacationing at a beach destination, 39 percent at a nearby city, 36 percent said that would be visiting family or friends, while 9 percent said they wouldn’t be taking a holiday at all.

Value for money was the leading factor affecting decisions to travel for 61 percent of those polled followed by natural beauty of a destination (50 percent), low cost of tickets and hotels (42 percent), cultural activities (29 percent) with a mere 16 percent interested in the nightlife.

In terms of holiday planning, 62 percent said they were keen on traveling  far to experience new places, 58 percent said they have at least one destination in mind for their next trip, 31 percent said they usually return to the same place for vacation, while 21 percent opt for last-minute deals.

3 top reasons for travel 

New experiences (74 percent), relaxation (69 percent), experiencing new cultures (68 percent) were the three top reasons for travel for Greeks surveyed.

Covid-19

According to the study, affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and measures over the last two years, travelers in 25 countries still prefer to holiday in their own countries.

In Greece, 37 percent of those polled said they had not traveled abroad in the last 12 months compared to 71 percent abroad with 20 percent saying they did so once.