RESULTS OF THE SURVEY BY EXAAA, AIA & GBR Consulting “On Visitor Satisfaction in Attica” for 2023

2023 a year of growth for Athens’ visitor numbers
Visitor satisfaction with the destination remains particularly high
Key trends: expansion to off-peak months, integration of the coastal front & islands into the
Athenian experience

The presentation of the results of the “Annual Visitor Satisfaction Survey” by the Athens – Attica and Argosaronic Hotel Association (AAHAA) in collaboration with Athens International Airport (AIA) and GBR Consulting has now become an institution.

The findings from two different annual surveys of visitor satisfaction with the destination, conducted independently by both the Athens Hoteliers Association in its member hotels and the DDA upon the departure of passengers from the capital, as well as the traffic and performance data of the Athens International Airport (AIA) and the Athens International Airport (AIA) for the year, are combined, analyzed, and a number of important conclusions emerge regarding the profile and origin of visitors, their needs, desires, expectations, preferences, the positives and negatives of the destination, and so on. The visitors themselves rate the destination and the public and private services offered, and freely express themselves about what they saw and experienced on their trip.

The interesting conclusions of the 2023 survey - the first year of Athens' recovery after the pandemic - were presented and analyzed by the heads of the Survey, Mr. Stefan Merkenhof, Managing Consultant GBR Consulting and Ms. Maripola Kotsi, Head of Market Research at AIA during an event held today, 21.02.2024, at the hotel-member of the Athens Hoteliers Association 'The Golden Age Hotel of Athens', in the presence of the President of the Athens Hoteliers Association, Ms. Lambrini Karanassio Zoulovic, Mr. Dimitris Fragakis, Secretary General of the Hellenic National Tourism Organization, Mr. Georgios Stamtsis, President of EATA and Mr. Alexandros Thanos, Executive Advisor of SETE, delivered remarks. The event was also graced by the presence of Ms. Christina Kefalogianni, Deputy Governor of Attica, and numerous representatives of the state, the Ministry of Tourism and the Greek National Tourism Organization, the Regional and Municipal Authorities, sectoral and scientific bodies, Educational Institutions and the Media.

The findings of the 19th Survey of 2023 - as well as the surveys of previous years - are available for use by Tourism stakeholders and offer rich material for study by all - those involved in the analysis of the tourism market, tourism policy, tourism promotion and tourism marketing, or who handle issues of Culture, Environment, Local Government, etc. at the state level.
This year's conclusions reflect the assessments, expectations, preferences of travelers as well as the performance of the destination, changes, trends in markets and traveler profiles and update the evaluation of existing general and specific infrastructures as well as the destination's proposals to the visitor.

Ms. Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director of Communication & Marketing at AIA, for her part, added:

« Having the experience of our particularly successful collaboration, we joined forces with the ESAAA, for the third year, with our entire research team, in order to outline the profile of our city's visitors and analyze their expectations and overall experience throughout the previous year, which was spectacular for tourism and travel in Athens and our country.
Through the particularly important findings of the 2023 Survey, the leading position - at a European level - of Athens Airport in terms of the development of passenger and tourist traffic is highlighted, with performances that even surpassed 2019, which was the reference year during the pre-pandemic era. Another important element is the fact that the travel experience is now emerging as a priority over the acquisition of material goods, while the Athenian experience is proving to be superior to the expectations of a large part of the city's visitors.
In the same spirit of cooperation, we continue, together with the ΕΡΑΑΑ, the joint effort in the field of conducting quantitative and qualitative surveys, always with an eye on the future of urban tourism in our city.

The President of the Association of Athens International Airports, Mrs. Lambrini Karanassiou Zoulovic, welcoming the event and "the effort - which the Association has been launching continuously for 19 years but in the last three years has acquired an even more substantial and interesting dimension through our collaboration with AIA", in extension of the findings of the survey, emphasized that "most of the messages we receive from our visitors show that Athens is popular, it is impressive, it is resilient, and its dynamics as well as its history are unique. We must protect this popularity by doing everything humanly possible" - as she said characteristically. "Improving our services, offering a smile and quality service, indicating and highlighting points of interest, helping the visitor to gain exceptional experiential experiences in our city. Hotels, like Athens International Airport, are certainly quite trained in the ‘tourism’ approach, however, what we call a collective ‘tourism consciousness’ and a collective effort are needed from all of us - in a coalition for the benefit of all.” The President of the ESAAA also said that “those involved in Tourism at the state, local and professional levels must coordinate and jointly take actions to strengthen and upgrade the destination that will help to significantly reduce the differences that Athens has from its other capitals - its competitors and to turn immediately to markets that will support the destination, as we will soon be faced again with decisions that must be made for the future tourism profile of the city. The goal of all of us - emphasized the President of the Association of Tourist and Travel Agents - obviously should be not only numerical but also qualitative and from our point of view we believe that this can be achieved in two main ways: On the one hand, with the real cleaning of our city and the improvement of the quality of life for citizens and visitors and on the other hand, with the full exploitation of the inexhaustible potential of Athens and its islands.
In this effort, we need synergies, new proposals for visitors as well as a groundbreaking tourism policy and strategy - of development, promotion and expansion.

The Secretary General of the Association of Tourist and Travel Agents, Mr. Evgenios Vasilikos, for his part, pointed out that "The 'forecasts' show Athens as a very strong 'player' on the European and international tourism scene for the coming years, however, the challenge is for Athens, as the capital, 'flagship' and 'mirror' of the country, to be able to function properly as a 12-month tourist destination (tourist, business, cruise, etc.) with all that this requires or entails. The coordinated State and with it the Local Government, must safeguard the tourist identity and quality that the destination has achieved with difficulty, as well as the special relationship of Athens with its visitor - at every level. Studies and surveys such as those we submit, either for the ‘Carrying Capacity’ of the destination, or for the ‘Visitor Satisfaction’ in collaboration with AIA, contribute to capturing the current situation and function as a ‘tool’ for people in Tourism, assisting our tourism partners in their work.”

click here for the results of the survey

Following are the detailed conclusions from GBR Consulting and AIA.

CONCLUSIONS GBR Consulting & AIA

In terms of tourism development, 2023 was a "landmark" year for Athens International Airport and the city of Athens. Specifically, more than 7 million international arrivals of foreign residents were recorded through the airport, compared to 6.4 million in 2019 (+10%), which was also the previous reference year. In particular, the largest number of visitors came from traditional markets (USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy), while an important element is the fact that markets such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Romania, which were considered non-main/traditional before the pandemic, also showed a consistently positive trend. At the same time, overseas destinations/markets such as Australia and China, closed in 2022 due to pandemic restrictions, recovered rapidly. Regarding the duration of the tourist season, increased traffic was also observed during the off-peak months.
Regarding the development of passenger traffic in 2023, Athens ranks among the top positions at a European level compared to 2019, showing a growth trajectory at a time when the European airport sector is still in a recovery phase.

The increase in tourist traffic in Athens has not negatively affected the overall tourist experience. On the contrary, tourist satisfaction has increased over the last 10 years from the lowest score of 7.7 in 2017 to 8.4 in 2022 and 2023. Athens' archaeological sites, with the Acropolis as its main attraction - with record levels of visitors in 2023 - and its culture, make it a destination that everyone "must" visit.

Athens has it all and has become an attractive city for every type of traveler: Archaeologists, Art Lovers, Active People, Travelers, Nightlife Lovers, Shoppers, Foodies, Seafood Lovers, Anthropologists, Professionals, as well as those who do not fit into any of these profiles, but wish to visit it.

Hotels, restaurants, bars and commercial establishments are highly rated, while the experience is further enriched by participating in activities such as various forms of organized sightseeing tours, nightlife, visits to a rich selection of museums, visits to the various neighborhoods, beaches. but also to the islands of Athens, which have increased significantly in recent years in terms of recognition and visitation.

It is interesting that when planning a trip to Athens, 43% of visitors do not take sustainability issues into account. Approximately 34% of our sample of visitors plan based on sustainability, but on the condition that it does not create any difficulty for them. Only 23%, that is, 1 in 4, take environmental issues and sustainability seriously into account. Regarding the issues of safety and public cleanliness, tourist satisfaction has decreased with scores of 7.4 and 6.4 respectively, while the assessment regarding the condition of squares and sidewalks remained stable at 6.9. However, these assessments are an average and depend to a very large extent on the locations of the hotels. The research shows that some areas in the center of Athens have serious problems and need immediate actions to improve safety, cleanliness and sidewalks.

Over the last decade, the number of hotels and hotel rooms in Attica increased by 5% and 9% respectively, while, based on data from the Hellenic Institute of Tourism and Research (HIT) up to October 2023, the Central Sector of Athens recorded significant growth of 26% and 21% respectively. The largest increases were recorded in the 4 and 5 star categories, while the 3 star hotel capacity increased in units, but remained relatively stable in number of rooms. The share of 1 & 2 star category hotels decreased.

Athens hoteliers are investing and upgrading their units, new concepts are entering the market, local and national chains are expanding and international investors are entering the sector, often in combination with international hotel brands. At the same time, the short-term rental market has grown over the last decade to 14,000 active units in 2023 -only in the center- compared to 18,000 hotel rooms in the same area.

As a result, occupancy in 2023 has not fully recovered to 2019 levels as there was a 1.5% decrease in the comparative period 2023/19. Room rates (ADR) improved significantly by 29% and thus Revenue per Available Room / RevPAR improved by 27.1% in 2023 compared to 2019. Similar results were observed in the competing Mediterranean cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Rome and Istanbul with a decrease in occupancy and significant increases in ADR. In terms of average price, Rome's performance recorded a 59% increase in 2023/19 mainly due to the entry of new luxury hotels.

Athens has become a popular and attractive destination and has a lot of potential to develop further, knowing that the Greek capital has not reached the levels of visitor numbers of competitors such as Rome and Barcelona. However, in recent years Barcelona has been facing forms of overtourism where residents increasingly state that the tourism sector is harming the city. Athens has certainly not reached this level, but to prevent such a development, planning and strategy are needed and certainly not uncontrolled development.

SPONSOR OF THE 19th Research ΕΡΑΑ & GBR Consulting on hotels: CITY CONTACT