Hotels in Athens and other parts of the country have subdued prices low in an attempt to bolster demand during the post-festive season slowdown. January appears set to be a challenging month for tourism sector enterprises, including city hotels active throughout the year, following latest pandemic-related restrictions imposed by governments around Europe in response to the Omicron variant. Analysts have projected a gradual normalisation in reservations following the festive season, while a Bank of Greece report forecasts an upward trajectory for tourism industry revenue in 2022 and 2023.
The tourism industry’s recovery, in 2021, of a considerable proportion of previous losses, combined with continued growth in manufacturing, have contributed to improved disposable income and employment figures. A rebound in economic activity and tourism’s restart have helped boost employment levels since the second quarter of 2021. Greece’s unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent last October from 16.4 percent in October, 2020.
Also, during this period, economic activity in the hotel industry was maintained at high levels, without, however, fully rebounding to pre-pandemic levels of business.
Hotel prices in Athens and other popular European destinations
January hotel prices in Athens remain competitive compared to other popular European destinations. According to January figures produced by the Trivago platform’s search engine, Athens hotel prices averaged 94 euros per night for a double room in January, a marginal drop from December’s average of 95 euros per night. Hotel prices at key European destinations have also fallen in January compared to December, Trivago figures showed.
In Amsterdam, the average price for a double room per night in January is down to 139 euros from 170 euros in December. The average price also fell to 117 euros from 129 euros in Barcelona, to 104 euros from 116 euros in Berlin, 127 euros from 141 euros in Brussels, 167 euros from 133 euros in Dublin, 146 euros from 167 euros in Lisbon, 132 euros from 152 euros in Madrid, 173 euros from 187 euros in Paris, 114 euros from 123 euros in Rome, 121 euros from 149 euros in Vienna, and 204 euros from 211 euros in Zurich.