Carnival celebrations are a major draw for many destinations.
Another big three-day weekend is just around the corner, set to add energy and momentum to travel activity this time of year, well before the opening of the tourist season. The events organized to celebrate Carnival and Clean Monday act as a magnet for many destinations, with some, however, consistently holding the top spot for years, such as Patras.
Among the popular destinations for the Clean Monday three-day weekend are Xanthi, Naousa, Skyros, Rethymno, Tyrnavos, Kozani as well as Kastoria, Syros, Ioannina, Thebes and Galaxidi, notes the president of the Federation of Hellenic Associations of Tourist and Travel Agencies, Lysandros Tsilidis, speaking to the Athens and Macedonian News Agency.
«In general at this time we have movement in Thessaly, Pelion, Trikala and Kastoria. Because of the festivities, however, for Carnival people will head to the destinations hosting events over the three-day weekend and traffic is estimated to be roughly at last years levels. As for travel abroad, the preferred excursions during this period are to Brazil and Venice, that is where Carnival traditionally takes place», notes Mr.Tsilidis.
Since Christmas, demand for the days of the carnival events in Patras has already been elevated and, as every year, thousands of visitors are expected in the city, according to the president of the Hotel Association of Achaia Prefecture Dimitris Diamantopoulos. The accommodations are filling up, not only within the city but also in the wider area, by visitors.
Hotels in Thrace (Komotini, Alexandroupoli and Xanthi) are also seeing very high occupancy, due to the Xanthi carnival and the grand parade and events that take place there every year, as emphasized by the president of the Thrace Hoteliers Association Apostolos Palakidis. Alexandroupoli is consistently a magnet for Turkish tourists, who are expected to increase thanks to the long weekend, while many tourists from Bulgaria are also anticipated in the area.
Naousa is also in high demand this year, with its visitors dispersing across the region for their stays, reaching as far as Edessa and Katerini, notes the mayor of Naousa Nikos Koutsogiannis. «We have bookings from last year for this three-day weekend», notes the mayor of Naousa explaining that Naousas carnival and the well-known custom «Genitsaroi and Boules» have very strong appeal, while favorable weather for skiing has generally benefited tourism this winter.
Rethymno remains a consistently popular destination for the Clean Monday three-day weekend, especially for Cretans, where every year the events attract visitors from the surrounding areas, Athens and other parts of Greece, as well as some foreign repeat visitors from the Netherlands, Belgium and France, as noted by the president of the Rethymno Hoteliers Association, Manolis Tsakalakis. Until the season opens, expected in early April, around 2000 beds are available as far as the citys hotels are concerned.
