The Rhodes vacationer office welcomed British tourists with absolutely free presents, a water salute and music as they touched down on the island this weekend.
The initially chartered flights from London touched down at Diagoras airport all-around midday on Saturday to a heat reception, with travellers achieved with a drinking water arch from the neighborhood fire support.
Associates of the tourism office offered presents of sweets and honey, and the municipality’s philharmonic band played local audio, as the island proceeds to build again its tourism sector from the pandemic.
Tourism receipts made a 97% restoration on pre-pandemic figures past year, assisted mainly by a significant improve in visitors from Britain, France and Germany.
Meanwhile, British holidaymakers have been place off by remarks from Lanzarote President María Dolores Corujo suggesting the preferred vacation spot would purpose to ‘reduce dependence on the British market’ and search for ‘higher high quality tourism and holidaymakers who spend more when they are below.’
British travellers are welcomed with a water salute from a hearth engine as they land in Greece
The municipality’s philharmonic band kick off the local vacationer season with Greek tunes
As Greece looks to woo foreign travellers for the summer months tourism year, the mayor of Rhodes, Antonis Kambourakis, underlined: ‘Rhodes is after once more at the top rated.
‘For the initial time so early, the tourist time opens in Rhodes with charter flights from Fantastic Britain. Rhodes marks the opening of the summer for all of Greece.’
The island overall economy of Rhodes, house to about 125,000 folks, is greatly dependent on tourism.
Nationally, tourism contributed 38.3bn EUR (£33.9bn) to the Greek financial system pre-pandemic, falling by additional than half in 2020 and recovering to 27bn EUR (£23.9bn) only by 2021.
Revenues nonetheless did not surpass pre-pandemic sums, in component as large marketplaces from Russia and Ukraine were being frozen due to the war.
Tourism to Rhodes was about 8% higher in 2022 than in 2019.
The 140 travellers from Britain ended up welcomed on the initial charter flight of the calendar year on Saturday.
Meanwhile, other holiday break locations continue to reeling from the pandemic have sought to draw in new demographics to simplicity overreliance on any 1 team.
The President of the island of Lanzarote, historically a well known desired destination for British tourists, produced headlines after boosting concerns about based way too a great deal on foreign tourism.
She said previously the island would pursue ‘a diversification tactic to cut down dependence on the British marketplace.’
About 45% of Lanzarote’s visitors are British.
Given that 2010, the Uk sector has also grown 73%, although the second biggest demographic – site visitors from Germany – has developed a flat 50%.
Lanzarote vacationer board information shows Britons also spend an ordinary of €34.94 per working day on the volcanic islands, more than most international visitors.
Despite this, Ms Dolores Corujo said: ‘It’s important to operate on the diversification of the sector and the development of markets like the German current market, which adapt to our intentions of aiming at greater-quality tourism and holidaymakers who shell out much more when they’re in this article and moves us absent from mass tourism.’
Visitors from Britain to Rhodes had been presented flags, sweets, honey and gifts from the island
Lanzarote seeks to diversify its vacationer financial system, lowering reliance on British visitors
Several British holidaymakers took offence to the reviews, prompting the Spanish Tourist Office to reassure people that the island would not ‘discriminate by form of visitor’.
Uk Director Manuel Butler said: ‘Spain is a socially inclusive desired destination and we do not discriminate.
‘We warmly welcome our British attendees.’
Francisco Martinez, vice-president of Lanzarote’s Island Affiliation of Motels and Residences, said leaders ended up opening an unneeded discussion and getting ‘badly advised’.
