Greece sees record-breaking winter tourism as ski resorts thrive

According to an article, Greek Reporter highlights that Greece is experiencing an exceptional winter tourism season, as its ski resorts are thriving thanks to favorable weather conditions and an influx of visitors. 

Greece is experiencing an exceptional winter tourism season, with its ski resorts attracting a high volume of visitors thanks to favorable weather conditions.

The Kalavryta ski resort in the Peloponnese, located on Mount Helmos, is seeing a record number of visitors, with over 15,000 people arriving each day. This is the first season the resort is operating after a major infrastructure upgrade, funded in part by the EU, worth over 22 million euros ($22.6 million). Guests are traveling to the resort not just from across Greece, but from as far away as Chile and Ecuador.

"Last year it was very bad because of the weather conditions so our plans are through our next investments, to secure artificial snow as well," says Alexis Agrios, Director of the Kalavryta ski center, speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

Agrios further explains that the goal is to turn the mountain into a year-round, multi-faceted destination, which will not only boost visitor numbers but also enhance the resort's sustainability. In this regard, the resort has already been successfully hosting a variety of events, including the Helmos mountain festival and bicycle competitions.

"We are trying to answer the questions posed by nature itself," he says. "This year, winter is expected to be very good for ski resorts, after a really bad one."

A steady flow of international tourists has been arriving at Parnassos, Greece's largest ski resort, which many regard as the best in the country.

While most visitors are from Europe, Antonis Tourkohoritis, Director of the Parnassos ski resort, tells the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that a significant number of tourists from China are adding the resort to their holiday itineraries. “The Chinese who go to Athens, include a visit to the archaeological site of Delphi and the Parnassos ski resort. These days, visitors surpass 5,500 a day and I think we are headed to a record year. The snow season began early this year and our resort is one of the most modern, as it has five lifts of the latest technology.”

Apostolos Meliopoulos, President of the Seli ski resort, Greece's second-largest, located on Vermion Mountain, describes a similar scenario.

“We began operating on December 19, and every day we are full, with anywhere between 2,000 to 5,000 visitors,” he says. Less than an hour from Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, Meliopoulos notes that the resort is easily accessible, and plans to implement artificial snow in the coming years will ensure its sustainability during the winter seasons.

“This season, the weather has been very favorable. We have many foreign tourists, from Italy and Germany. We used to have Israelis too. This year, we have many visitors from France who say they are stunned by their visit. These are mainly tourists who visit Thessaloniki and then come to Seli to enjoy themselves.”

By Naila Huseynova