Record revenue and arrivals for hotels in Crete in 2025 | N. Chalkiadakis in Tornos News
Source: Tornos News
Crete continues to hold the scepter in Greek tourism, recording an upward trend this year in both arrivals and revenue.
The president of the Heraklion Hoteliers, Nikos Chalkiadakis, tells Tornos News:
“The picture for 2025 is positive. Despite lower occupancy rates, higher room rates brought better revenue to hotels. Thus, Crete will maintain its leading role in Greek tourism, as it will achieve more revenue and arrivals compared to last year.”
The main markets remain Germany, England, France, the Netherlands and Poland, with arrivals from these countries dynamically supporting the island’s tourist season.
Changes in visitor habits
Mr. Chalkiadakis is quick, however, to highlight the significant changes in visitor habits. Specifically, long-term contracts of 21 days have essentially disappeared, with most tourists now choosing stays of 7 to 10 days, as he says.
Airbnb oversupply in Crete
At the same time, short-term rentals continue to be a factor that deprives traditional hoteliers of income. It is noteworthy that the number of beds available through Airbnb in Crete reached 108,000 this year, from just 10,000 in 2014, compared to 196,000 beds available in total in the island’s hotels. This oversupply directly affects hotel occupancy rates, creating new data for the sector, Mr. Chalkiadakis points out.
Regarding the extension of the season, Mr. Chalkiadakis remains cautious: “The famous extension remains a question. Like last year, many hotels are closing after October, which shows that we cannot yet talk about a substantial change.”
The upward picture for Crete is also confirmed by INSETE data, which show that Crete maintained its primacy as the largest island destination, with a total of 3 million international arrivals. Heraklion welcomed 2.1 million visitors (+5.3%), while Chania recorded 863 thousand arrivals (+1.7%), confirming the increased demand in all the main areas of the island. In domestic flights, Crete maintained its leading position with 811 thousand arrivals (+11%).
In any case, Crete appears to be maintaining its leadership in tourism this year, confirming its role as one of the strongest pillars of Greek hospitality.
The original article: belongs to Tornos News .
