A special summer, which—according to forecasts made until recently—was expected to significantly surpass that of 2019, was what tourism officials and business owners in the Sporades had anticipated.
Everyone’s preparations were in line with expectations, since the anticipated number of visitors to the beautiful Sporades Islands was expected to exceed the 2019 figures. However, everything will now depend on developments in Ukraine.
This summer season, despite the clouds on the international horizon, looks set to be exceptional for the three beautiful islands of the Sporades, as—beyond infrastructure—a key factor—which always plays a major role— has been, first and foremost, ferry services and, to a lesser extent, air travel, as far as domestic tourism is concerned.
Inbound tourism is clearly dominant, with flights and their occupancy rates being the be-all and end-all for every destination.
However, for years the Sporades had a significant disadvantage. They lacked easy ferry access from the country’s two major urban centers, and there were few ferry routes; the ships were small and old, the ports (except for Volos) were problematic, and the fares were proportionally more expensive than on any other ferry route.
This year, things are improving significantly with the addition of new ships, service to more ports, numerous domestic connections between the islands, and the long-awaited arrival of the famous seaplanes in the region.
The port of Volos remains, naturally, the most important of all, and the Blue Star Ferries car ferries «Proteas» and «Express Skiathos» of Blue Star Ferries will continue to depart and operate on this route, but this year the route will also be joined by SeaJets« new large car ferry, the »Sporades Star« (formerly the »Azores Express”).
«The »Proteas« and »Sporades Star« will dock at Skiathos, Skopelos, and Alonnisos, and will also call at Mantoudi in Euboea, to accommodate travelers from Athens and relieve congestion in Volos.
From Thessaloniki, with regular service to all the islands, as well as to Mantoudi, a large SeaJets high-speed ferry will be operating again this year, since the route received subsidies last year and carried approximately 30,000 passengers.
From Agios Konstantinos in Lokrida, ANES will once again operate the small but very convenient car ferry «Symi II» this year, which will call at Glyfa, Skiathos, Glossa, and Mantoudi.
Another ferry service operated by the car ferry «Achilles» from Kymi on Euboea will serve Skyros, Alonnisos, and Skopelos.
The islands will be served from Volos by the «Erato» flying dolphin, with daily departures.
The big question for this year’s tourist season is how much ferry tickets will cost, because the Sporades, in particular, have been an extremely expensive destination for many, many years now.
Starting on March 20, all ferry companies implemented significant increases in ticket prices. For example, a one-way ticket on the «Express Skiathos» to Skiathos rose to 30.5 from 25 last summer, while the cost for a one-way car transport on the same ferry is 98 euros, compared to 89. Prices are similar for Skopelos and Alonnisos, with an increase exceeding 15% compared to last year.
As for ANES and the «Proteas» ferry on the Volos–Skiathos route, the ticket price will now be 24.5 euros, while the price to Skopelos is 26 euros. As for the «Proteas,» the cost of transporting a car from Volos to Skiathos is now 69 euros, up from 57, while for Skopelos and Alonnisos it is 75 euros.
In addition to ferries, however, seaplanes are entering the transportation «battle» for the first time this year. This effort is a massive undertaking with clearly ambitious goals, since seaplanes will be a completely new mode of transportation for Greece.
The CEO of «Hellenic Seaplanes-Υδροπλάνα Ελλάδας ΑΕ,» Nikolas Charalambous, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) that «Our plan is to begin operations in the Sporades sometime in early June, since—after the enormous difficulties we faced along the way—the seaplane bases in Volos, Skopelos, Alonnisos, and Skyros have finally been granted permits, while on Skiathos we will be flying to the airport at a higher cost. It is encouraging that we have reached the point where we can plan our flight schedules. We will fly daily from the port of Volos, with one or two round-trip routes: Volos–Skiathos–Skopelos–Alonnisos–Skyros-Volos, and, secondly, with a separate daily morning route to each island.’
Mr. Charalambous also told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) that «in addition to the Sporades, we will have seaplanes on the Ionian Islands as well, since the issue of seaplane routes is managed by the Corfu Port Authority, as well as in the Cyclades, with landings in sheltered areas such as Kalafatis in Mykonos. The seaplanes in the Sporades will be either the 10-seat Cessna Caravan or the 19-seat Canadian-built Twin Otter, but clearly everything will also depend on traveler interest. At the same time, no one is overlooking the fact that the fare will play a key role, since current circumstances do not make it easy to set ticket prices at this time.».
The mayor of Skopelos, Stamatis Perissis, speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), emphasized that «We hope and pray that the war will end and things will calm down, so that this summer will be much better than any other year, because that’s what the signs are pointing to. Transportation is improving, and the arrival of seaplanes in the Sporades, after a decade-long “wait,” is a very important development for Skopelos and the other islands, as it opens up new and broader horizons for the region. The seaplanes will shorten travel times, bring new air connections, and transport tourists who previously found it difficult to travel by ferry.».
Speaking from Skiathos, Alekos Efstathiou, president of the Hoteliers« Association, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) that “Booking numbers have been excellent so far, but the uncertainty and concern caused by international developments are creating a gloomy outlook, and every day we see the cost of services rising across all sectors—especially in the aviation market—due to the very high global fuel prices. We cannot ignore all of this because we business owners are investing enormous sums. This year in Skiathos, two very large hotel complexes are opening their doors. The ”Alkyon Resort” of the Dervenis Group, which has over 800 beds, and the Radisson Plaza, which adds 250 beds to the island’s capacity.
Another outstanding factor is the improvement in both coastal and inland waterway transportation. The long-awaited arrival of seaplanes may well change the tourism landscape in the Sporades for the better. As for flights, their numbers appear to be multiplying, and the airport is experiencing high aircraft parking occupancy rates.
