2023 is estimated to be a record year for Fraport Greece, which manages 14 Greek regional airports, with passenger traffic for the 10-month period (January - October) having «taken off».
According to the data presented by George Vilos, Fraport Greece's Chief Development Officer, during the first 10 months of the year, the company's 14 regional airports served a total of 32.3 million passengers, an increase of 8.4% compared to 2022 and an even higher increase of 12 % compared to 2019.
Passenger traffic in 2023 is expected to reach 33.8 million passengers annually, compared to 31.2 million in 2022. As reported by Mr. Vilos, the top ten overseas markets were the UK, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Israel and the Czech Republic.
«The upward trend in passenger traffic at the 14 regional airports during the first 10 months of the year reflects the competitiveness of the Greek tourism product, which includes the upgrading of tourism-related infrastructure, such as airports. Nevertheless, it is very important to remain vigilant, given the various challenges facing the wider tourism sector, which requires the continuous strengthening of the competitiveness of the Greek tourism product based on global trends, but also on the synergies between all of us who are at the forefront of the tourism chain of our country’, said the Director General of Development of Fraport Greece.
Regarding the role of Fraport Greece in attracting tourist flows throughout the year, Mr.Vilos said:
- We have invested a total of over 1.8 billion to create modern and secure entry gates to the country.
- Every year we invest around €50 million to further modernise our airports and we are already planning further expansions in some of them, such as Santorini.
- We provide significant financial incentives to attract additional flights during the winter and regional months.
- We partner with national and local stakeholders, jointly designing and implementing promotional programmes in target markets.
- We promote the 14 destinations at major international conferences, as well as through our own communication channels, such as social media and our magazine ‘Incredible Greece’.
- We are in constant cooperation with all airlines in order to maintain existing routes, but mainly to attract new ones to all the destinations we serve.
Finally, he referred to the challenges for the future of tourism in the country:
- Shortage of staff throughout the tourism chain with a negative impact on the level of service.
- Rising price level with an impact on demand for the coming years.
- Deteriorating value for money which intensifies competition with neighbouring countries.
- Need for infrastructure investment to cater for increased tourist flows.
- A change in strategy from «sun and sea» to more integrated/alternative tourism experiences.
- Extending the tourist season, with a change of culture and business model by all stakeholders.
- Geopolitical instability in the wider region with potential impacts on tourism.
- Sustainable tourism development and the need for environmentally positive investments with a focus on local communities.
Β. Koutsouba
