Tour Operators That Specialize In Greece Extend The Assortment

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   According to travel market experts interviewed by a BANKO correspondent, air traffic volume to the Northern Greece has increased considerably comparing to the last season with 2220 seats per week against 1900 in season-2005. Moreover, several changes occurred within the consolidating system of flights. Thus, more than 80% of air traffic is controlled by MOUZENIDIS Travel (1900 seats per week), which became the leader of the destination. Furthermore, Labyrinth Travel Company and Ambotis Tours consolidate 320 seats per week, while Travel Club Voyage preferred to take blocks on flights consolidated by MOUZENIDIS Travel. Thus, Irina Shishkina, commented as follows: ‘we consider such a decision to be economically sound, therefore, we adopted changes to our summer program’.
    Meanwhile, the increase in air traffic volume to Thessaloniki provoked the excess of flights and May was marked with a range of special offers. However, tour operators feel optimistic towards the situation: ‘there was an excess of flights as initially flights were planed considering May Holidays. Nevertheless, at the moment the situation has stabilized and we have bookings for June. Besides, we forecast the increase in demand by 30%’, explained Yulia Pichugina, General Director of Travel Club Voyage.
   Travel market experts point out that the interest of Russian tourists in Thessaloniki was not affected even by the extension of the Greek assortment. ‘Tour packages to the continental Greece are 30% cheaper than tours to the Islands, therefore, the majority of Russian tourist will still prefer continental holidays in Greece’, stated Boris Fulov, Commercial Director of MOUZENIDIS Travel.     Meanwhile, tour operators point out the following tendencies of the demand for Greece: 4-5* hotels are in higher demand at present, which partly explains the extension of offers to the islands as there is a shortage of 4-5* hotels in Chalkidiki comparing to, for example, Rhodes and Crete.