Winners and Losers in the Cyclades

the Cyclades It is one of the most well known and beloved Tourist destinations in Greeceas the islands rely heavily on tourism income. This season is quite unusual, given the severity of the impact on home holiday budgets, resulting in each island’s performance varying greatly. Data from ELSTAT, combined with MTC GROUP’s analysis, paints a mixed picture of success and challenges.

Tourist season winners

Paros and Milos They have been the big winners of this year’s tourist season. Paros recorded an impressive increase in accommodation and restaurant turnover for both May (90.4%) and June (34.5%), with total revenues reaching €10,244,648 in June. This success was partly due to the extended tourist season, which helped the island attract more visitors. Milos followed a similar upward trend, seeing its turnover increase by 45.4% in May and 23.3% in June, with total revenues reaching €4,257,402 in June.

Kia and Kythnos They also saw a significant increase in revenues in May (23.2%), although growth in June was limited to 0.7%. This fact indicates a stable but less intense tourist demand, with total revenues amounting to €555,331.

Fixed course islands

or Naxos and Cyrus It moved steadily upwards, although with smaller increases compared to Paros and Milos. Naxos saw a 6.7% increase in May, with total accommodation and restaurant revenues reaching €4,511,172 in June, while Syros saw an 8.4% increase in May and 14.3% in June, reaching €1,152,643.

or Tinos It also saw an increase of 9.8% in May and 14.9% in June, with a total revenue of €635,948. These steady increases show that the selected islands maintain a constant tourist flow without showing major fluctuations.

Losers of the tourist season

On the contrary, Mykonos and Santorini It shows signs of fatigue. Mykonos, although still the top destination, recorded a marginal increase of 0.7% in May, but a decrease of -4.9% in June. This decrease is also reflected in the total turnover, which reached €60,827,009 in June. The picture was similar in Santorini, where revenues fell by -1.2% in June, to €58,688,391.

A decrease in sales volume in the second quarter of the year was also seen by accommodation and restaurants in Andros, which reached -3%, although June was much better, with revenues of over 500,000 euros, an increase of 4%.

The nearly 5% drop in cruise passenger traffic in July, according to figures from the Ministry of Shipping, is a sign of waning interest in some of the most popular islands.

or Parosh Naxosh Mykonosh Santorini and Tinos The islands that received the largest volume of passenger traffic. It is worth noting that although Santorini remained among the most popular destinations, a relative decrease was observed compared to last year, especially by Greek travelers, as was also seen on August 15.

Overall, this year’s tourist season for the Cyclades highlights the islands that have managed to adapt to new market conditions, with Paros and Milos recording impressive performances, while islands like Mykonos and Santorini need to renew their strategy to maintain their momentum.

Greeks’ favorite islands on August 15

The top 10 islands preferred by Greek travelers differ greatly from the choices of foreign tourists, according to ferry passenger traffic data for bookings via Ferryhopper.

The Greeks favored the following islands for August 15 this year:

1. Tinos
2. Aegina
3. Naxos
4. Cyrus
5. Paros
6. Crete
7. Andrews
8. Corfu
9. Mykonos
10. Kythnos.

especially, Greek GenZers Millennial generation They favoured Naxos, Tinos, Paros, Syros and Crete. Santorini is no longer among the most popular islands for Greeks, something that was also observed during Easter, but also during Pentecost this year.

On August 15th of this year, new islands appeared on the list of favorites. Compared to 2023, the following destinations have seen a significant increase: Lefkada (1.124%) Kefalonia (665%) Scopelos (274%) Chania (130%) Ikaria (91%) Lesvos (80%)

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