Britons are starting to discover another side to Greece – namely, the mountainous
Britons are starting to discover another side to Greece – namely, the mountainous
Neas Achialos airport in Magnesia saw a 32% rise in tourist traffic for the first six months of this year, compared to last year, which was attributed mainly to the introduction of two flights from Britain to Pelion.
The Sporadic island of Skiathos experienced an 8% increase for the same period. More specifically, arrivals at Neas Achialos rose to 22,900, up from 17,500, while those of Skiathos went up from 125,000 to 135,000.
The boost in tourist traffic to Skiathos is also evident in arrivals by sea, both by hydrofoil and ferry, while a large number of cruiseships docked at Volos, Magnesia. A total of 325,000 visitors arrived by hydrofoil or ferry from January-June, up from 301,000.
Between January and October 44 cruiseships sailed to the area carrying 20,900 tourists. The increase in arrivals by sea is attribute in large part to a growing domestic interest in the area – a major aim of the local authorities.
Volos is expected to attract even more visitors in light of the fact that it has been proclaimed an Olympic city, as has Thessaloniki. Already, new accommodation units have been planned.
Thessaly`s governor Ioannis Kartsiotis said 315 billion drachmas in funding would be invested in developing tourism in the region.
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