Give us an overview of all tourist accommodations in your area. Hotels located in different locations and what each location offers.
Our area consists of four tourist areas. The first is Makry Gialos, the second Sitia, the third Mochlos and finally Palekastro. All areas offer fine sandy beaches, many archaeological sites and peace and rest for the visitor.
Between the small and large hotel units, the many rental rooms and rental apartments, what do the tourists choose? Have their priorities changed?
The visitor’s priorities have not changed. The visitor can choose from different categories of hotels such as all-inclusive hotels, from 5 star to 2 star and small one star hotels, rental apartments and luxury villas, depending on their financial situation.
Does the rise of Airbnb bother you? Please explain.
Certainly, the rise of Airbnb creates competition, especially for rental rooms and small hotels that do not have a fixed collaboration with tour operators. It also creates unfair competition due to the tax benefits they have as they are exempt from VAT, insurance fees, etc.
Give an indicative price range per hotel category. Can someone with a low income find something interesting?
In our area, everyone can find something that suits them, at whatever price is interesting to them, in all price categories.
What is it that hotels offer extra so that tourists are attracted there?
All hotels in our area offer high-quality hospitality, excellent service, a friendly environment and a unique culinary experience.
Does the all-inclusive system in the hotels work well in a tourist area like yours, given that the visitor wants to see many different places, and how do you get the tourist to choose such a hotel?
Our facilities are upgraded in terms of quality, service, hospitality, the Mediterranean dishes offered and in general the provision of services.
With so many wonderful beaches, award-winning and famous all over the world, is the pool still an attraction for the visiting tourist?
In our area, due to the presence of both organized and deserted beaches, visitors prefer the natural beach to the hotel pools.
What can a visitor do to find accommodation? Does the association have any services to offer? Do websites really help?
To find accommodation, the visitor turns to either tour operators, or websites, or to the municipality’s or hotel association’s websites, where they can choose accommodation.
Do tourists come both from Greece and the whole world? From the Scandinavian countries? From which areas? What do they tell you when they go home?
In our area we have Greek tourism, tourism from Scandinavian countries as well as from France, Germany and Italy. The customers go home very satisfied with the hospitality and the area, which is the reason why we have many returning customers even during the same tourist season. In other words, there are customers who visit Sitia twice in a season, once in May and once in September.
How long is the tourist season in Sitia? Until what month are the hotels full? Do they close certain months like in other areas?
The tourist season in Sitia lasts 170-180 days. Some hotels close during the winter season, while some remain open throughout the winter season.
In which areas have you improved the services provided? What do you expect from the tourist season this year?
With the information we have so far, this year’s tourist season looks set to be just as good as last year’s..
