Chania has never been an expensive destination
Interview with the President of the Chania Hotel Association, Mr. Manolis Giannoulis, at
grtraveller
and Margarita Manousou.
The president of the Hotel Association of Chania, Mr. Manolis Giannoulis speaks at grtraveller for the course of this summer season in Crete.
How do you predict that arrivals will move in 2022 compared to 2021 and 2019?
Due to the Omicron mutation last November and the start of the war in Ukraine, there was a freeze on pre-bookings and the season started cautiously. But from May onwards there was an explosive increase in bookings. We are hoping for a very good season that will be close to 2019 levels.
What do you think are the factors that make Crete and especially Chania such an interesting and attractive destination?
The Prefecture of Chania is well known all over the world for its rich natural and cultural wealth, its beautiful beaches such as Balos, Falassarna, Elafonisi, its gorges and of course the Samaria Gorge, the inland and the picturesque villages and archaeological sites. Our goal is to showcase all the beauties and potential of our island, so as to attract more forms of tourism and extend the season.
Do you think that the increase in energy costs, which is expected to affect the prices of air and ferry tickets, will it affect the tourist product of Crete?
It may affect the tourism of the island to some extent but I think people want to travel, as it was limited for two years because of the pandemic Covid19. Today they will evaluate the offers and seek to choose the best economic package for the trip they want.
The war in Ukraine will reduce the number of visitors from these markets. Have you taken steps to help attract visitors from other markets?
The Chania Hotel Association, since its launch in 2011, has been targeting other markets beyond the Scandinavian market, which is the largest volume of visitors. In recent years the Tourism Partnership has been established – which is also under the auspices of the Region of Crete – where, apart from the Hotel Owners Association of N. Chania participate the Marketing Greece, η Fraport, η Aegean and Eurobank where through journalists & bloggers, many promotional activities have been carried out to attract visitors from America, France, Poland, England and other countries.
To which markets is your Cretan tourism product addressed and how competitive will it be in 2022?
I think the markets that we saw that surprised us especially in 2021 will continue to do well. Already many flights are scheduled from Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, while England, the first in arrivals in 2019, based on the picture today, but also the scheduled flights, taking into account the Wizz Air, which this year will fly from Gatwick Airport, will probably be the first nationality in arrivals in Chania again. The signals are also positive from the Nordic market lately. Chania, as we all know, has always been a favourite destination for the Scandinavians.
What do you predict the prices of the tourist product in Crete will be in 2022 compared to 2021-2019?
As far as prices are concerned, Chania has never been an expensive destination. Our goal is always to offer quality services at competitive prices. Hotel prices have already been set from 2021, as contracts are signed a few months in advance. The prices in Chania this year are within normal limits.
