Holiday spending in Greece reached new records in 2024, while European tourists’ preferences for the destination are on the rise. Some Romanian tourists spent over 2,500 euros for a holiday at the beginning of the season in Halkidiki.
Prices have increased in Greece, the favorite summer destination of Romanians
Greece rose to fourth place in the top European destinations and recorded a record increase in tourism spending in 2024. Specifically, they increased by 25%. Maybe also because the prices have gone up. Recently, famous travel bloggers detailed how much a family holiday in Greece cost at the beginning of the season.
This while, 75% of European citizens expressed their desire to visit Greece in the coming months, an increase of six percentage points compared to last year, informs the publication Kathimerini, quoted by TvrInfo.
In the first half of 2024, travel spending increased by 25% in Greece and Spain, by 20% in Italy and by 16% in France, according to a recent report by the European Travel Commission (ETC).
Overall, 36% of Europeans are planning at least one trip in the coming months, an increase of 6% compared to last year. Also, 33% want to make a second trip, and 24% plan three or more trips.
Demand for Mediterranean destinations remains high, with 45% of European tourists preferring sunny areas. Spain and Italy remain the main choices of European tourists, each preferred by 8% of respondents, followed by France (7%) and Greece (6%).
In the next six months, European tourists are interested in “sun and sea” holidays (19%), “culture and heritage” (17%), “nature and excursions” (14%) and “city breaks” (13%) .
“I spent too much in Halkidiki”
Recently, Aventurescu, a couple of travel bloggers known for their articles recommending low-cost vacation ideas, detailed how much a vacation in Halkidiki, one of the Greek destinations preferred by Romanians, cost them.
“Greece has become more expensive, it’s no secret, and we discovered this for ourselves last month, in Halkidiki. In today’s vlog we talked about our holiday budget, how much we spent on accommodation, food and transport.”, is the description of the video on Youtube.
The vlogger couple, consisting of Alina and Florin, rented an apartment on the Kasandra arm of the Halkidiki peninsula, for which they paid 1400 euros for 7 nights, at the beginning of June. The apartment could accommodate four people and was positioned very close to the beach, they noted.
They spent 250 euros for gasoline and transport costs. This money includes the round trip from Romania and the roads to the beaches on the peninsula. Halkidiki attracts many Romanian tourists because of its proximity, but also its landscapes and beaches with turquoise water and fine sand, shaded by pine trees.
Breakfast cost him around 150 euros for the 7 nights. Moreover, for meals during the day, the family consisting of two parents and two small children spent an average of 100 euros per day, for lunch and dinner.
In total, the budget of the two was 2600 euros, for 8 days in Halkidiki, at the beginning of the season.
“That’s a lot, isn’t it? Wow, that seems like a lot, doesn’t it, if we draw the line?“, says the blogger Alina.
“2600 euros is quite a lot“, adds Florin.
However, “it’s worth coming at the beginning of the season”, because it is less crowded and the food prices are a little lower.
In contrast, last year in Thasos bloggers spent around 425 euros on accommodation, and the total budget for five days was 1225 euros for a 5-day holiday in Thasos, in the off-season.
“I was stuck, 2600 euros for a vacation in Greece“, said Alina.
But “it can be even cheaper“, they draw attention.
“Gyros for 2.5 euros, coffee for 1.5 euros, draft beer 2 euros, deck chair 12 euros all day. Too good to be true? Prices are as of today, verified by the undersigned in Hanioti, Halkidiki“, the bloggers wrote on Facebook at the beginning of the month.
The costs were high also because they were accompanied by the two children, Alina and Florin pointed out. On Facebook, the clip has collected over 100 thousand views, and on YouTube over 8 thousand.
“You’re exaggerating the price”
The post also attracted numerous comments, in which Romanians detail how much they paid for a vacation in Greece, but also what the accommodation costs were in various popular destinations.
“Way too much, personally I wouldn’t spend that much money on a destination like Greece“, someone wrote.
“Hello, you are exaggerating the price! I give 1700 lei (340 euros) in August for 8 nights 50 m from the sea. So somewhere around 40 Euros per night 2 adults + 2 children. I had a reservation in Crete for 100 euros per day all inclusive, for all 4, also in August. Now it depends on when you book and what you want!,” someone else wrote.
Many netizens gave details about how much money they spent on a stay in Greece. A family consisting of parents and a 2-year-old child, had a budget of 1500 eruos for 6 nights in Crete. Others said they spent somewhere between 1200 and 1400 euros.
“I confirm the prices. Increase the price a lot when: you go in full season, you want a 2-room apartment for the family, accommodation on the beach. Whoever says he paid less is talking about other years and at least one of the things above is not confirmed. We are going this year I think for the 6th time to different areas of Greece, for the water there, not for how cheap it is. Prices have gone up, like everywhere else.”, someone else commented.
“From our experience of the last 10 years, we can easily compare a holiday in Greece with a stay in Thailand in terms of prices. It’s no exaggeration.”, the bloggers replied.
Just like everywhere else, prices have risen in the country where almost 1.5 million Romanians arrived last year.
“In recent years, I have seen that here in Greece, taverns have increased their prices by 5-10-15%. This means that 50 cents, one euro, have been added to the product. If 4 years ago a beer was 2.5 euros, now we find it in most taverns for 5 euros. Those who want to spend less on vacation are advised to go to the restaurants where the locals eat or to buy food from the supermarket“, says Dan Adrian Drăgan, the representative of Forum Grecia, at the beginning of the season.
According to the Where and When website, which helps tourists set their budget for a specific destination, the cost of living in Greece, on average, in 2024, is 54% higher than in Romania.
