Athens needs new growth model for tourism
The assembly was presented with a survey on tourism trends in Athens and Attica which showed that 43% of tourist locations in Athens were not hotels but mostly short-term rental locations, with the latest estimates saying that the ratio between hotel beds/short-term rental beds was 1:1.
The country's tourist product is curently at a stage of maturity, while in Athens tourism growth has exceeded its limits since a large number of layovers are concentrated within a few square kilometers, George Soklis, a professor at Panteion University said, adding that conditions were ripe for a discussion over a new growth model for tourism.
Tourism trends were down in Athens, with average hotel occupancy rate down 11% in the January-November period compared with the corresponding period in 2019.
