Aegean Rising: Tour Operators Report Bounce Back in Greece and Turkey

PHOTO: American tourists are now returning to Greece after a period of hesitation.

Tour operators are celebrating the resurgence of Greece and Turkey as travel destinations.

Insight Vacations is seeing a 30 percent increase in its bookings to Greece, according to its president, Phil Cappelli. “Because Insight offers premium escorted journeys in both classical and Aegean islands products we are perfectly positioned to benefit from this strong recovery," said Cappelli. "Turkey seems also to be maintaining its trajectory. From an initial slowdown we are seeing a pick-up once again, and quite often travelers will combine both destinations.”

Avanti Destinations’ bookings to Greece have doubled this year over 2013, according to Harry Dalgaard, president of Avanti Destinations. “Greece and Turkey are back and have the highest growth rate in Avanti’s 2014 Europe travel season,” said Dalgaard.

Avanti brought back Istanbul for 2014 because of increased demand. The pre- and post-cruise market is particularly strong, according to Dalgaard.

“For 2014 Avanti introduced new independent culture and food options for Athens that really bring the city to life for visitors,” said Dalgaard. “And they fit perfectly with the independent travelers’ interests in private photography, market visits and cooking options. These tours are guided by young Athenians who love their city and want to share it personally – and they are ideal for pre- and post-cruise travel. The tide has turned for Greece, and while some of it might have been pent-up demand, many travelers have now set their sights on Greece and the Greek Isles. Greece is so popular, it seems to be at the point that almost everyone has at least one friend or relative who is planning on a trip to Greece this summer or next.”

Abercrombie & Kent saw a 30 percent increase in bookings to Greece in 2013, according to Pamela Lassers, director of media relations. As a result, the company responded by adding several new properties to its A&K Villas program. According to Lassers, bookings for this summer are going very well. The company also has added some new villas in Crete.

SITA World Tours is also seeing a resurgence. “Both Turkey & Greece have been trending of late,” said Per Max Ali, director of group operations for SITA World Tours. “This is a good sign. Despite a strong Euro, these destinations are thriving. Most travelers are choosing to travel independently or in SITA's small groups and spending on average between 10-14 days.”

"Although Greece and Turkey have always been popular, we have noticed a huge surge of interest in these destinations in the past several months,” said Richard Krieger, president of Isramworld, “so much so that we are releasing two stand-alone brochures, one for each country.  Agents have been requesting everything from custom groups and FIT’s to cruise/tour combinations. We are excited to be working with great partners on the ground and are anticipating a tremendous 2014/2015 booking season.”

Ya’lla Tours reports that Greece is back and Turkey never went away. “Greece is back, and back big!” said Ronen Paldi, president of Ya’lla Tours. “With more flights available and the perception that the financial crisis is behind us Americans are re-discovering the Greek Islands, the cruises and the inland. Our Greek bookings are 30 percent higher than what they were in 2013 and are back to the levels of pre-crisis. Even the high Euro exchange rate does not seems to deter people from travel and enjoy it.”

For Ya’lla Tours, its Turkey business remains strong. “Turkey does not need to come back as it never went,” said Paldi. “Since 2011 and the fall of Egypt as a destination Turkey has seen a surge in booking and every year since we see a large increase in it. Newer hotels in Istanbul are just adding to the glamour it has.”

According to Paldi, the protest in Turkey last year had very little affect on the company’s bookings, perhaps in part as a lucky accident. “Since we anticipated heavy traffic problem in the Taksim area due to the construction project – which was the source of the protests – we diverted all of our hotel bookings to the Old City area. As a result, none of our traffic was affected.”

Ya’lla’s bookings for Turkey are strong for 2014 and its group bookings for 2015 look even stronger, according to Paldi.

The Globus family of brands is seeing major gains in both countries. Steve Born, vice president of marketing for the Globus family of brands, said, “We are seeing a return to Greece and Turkey for 2014.  In fact, to date, both Globus and Cosmos are up more than 20 percent when compared to 2013. We attribute this resurgence to a combination of pent-up demand, great value, the broad-based appeal of the destination as well as the new offerings we've introduced to this region in recent years.”

The new offerings include a Classical Greece tour that comes several alternatives for cruise combinations for the Greek Islands, including three-night, four-night and seven-night options and a Greek Island Hopper, which is a 10-day tour and cruise starting at $1,999 per person. 

General Tours is selling out its new tours to Turkey. “We would definitely agree that these destinations are coming back,” said Robert Drumm, president of General Tours. Turkey is especially strong for General Tours. Summer departures for its new Traditions of Turkey trip are sold out, though some departures are still open for September.

According to Drumm, feedback from travel agents indicates that their clients are looking for “more in-depth and authentic ways to experience Turkey. They want to delve into the country’s rich history and culture beyond Istanbul and Ephesus – destinations which have long been heavily featured on Mediterranean cruises.”

General Tours' small group style, with 16 maximum guests per group, and its focus on in-depth cultural encounters and authentic experiences of the destination are hitting a chord with customers, according to Drumm.

The programs include unusual experiences, such as an excursion across the Bosphorus to the Asian side of Istanbul to explore the city’s culinary culture, with tastings at a local market; dining with a family in their home in the village of Bergama; a walking tour in Cappadocia with a lifelong resident; a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia; and a personal encounter with weavers and ceramic artisans in the village of Avanos.

According to Drumm, “We’re seeing strong growth fueled by travelers’ desires to experience more of Turkey’s diversity, including its history as well as the modern ways which are a legacy of the country’s ancient roots and strategic position at the crossroads of civilizations.”

Learning Journeys Powered by Perillo has seen a surge of interest in Greece and responded with a new escorted tour series called Luxury Greece. “Our program allows travelers the opportunity to stay in luxury resorts and historic properties and to see the destination from land, spending three nights in each destination, rather than via shore excursions,” said Carol Dimopoulos, president of Learning Journeys Powered by Perillo. “Transport is via business class ferry.” 

GeoEx just launched a bunch of incentives for fall Turkey trips to encourage more travel there. “We’re seeing it in a lot of destination recommendation pieces, but also see a bit of concern about the elections and recent tussles between the government and supreme court there,” said Maura Ginty, senior director of marketing.