Fraport Greece CEO Alexander Zinell is optimistic about the course of Greek tourism, despite slowdowns in passenger traffic this year in destinations such as Santorini, he tells Kathimerini. He even reports strong performance at airports such as Thessaloniki, Corfu and Hania.

He also notes the strong resilience of Greece’s popularity overall. However, he points out the shortfall in basic infrastructure in order for local communities to overcome the problems that are occurring and to be able to increase their benefits from tourism activity.

“Our goal is not for all months to be like August, but, on the contrary, to decongest peak periods and strengthen others, so that the final balance is sustainable and with higher added value for local communities,” he says. “Some destinations do indeed face pressure during peak periods.” However, he notes that “Greece, due to its abundance of destinations, does not suffer from overtourism.”

He stresses, however, that there is no room for complacency given the ever-increasing competition, especially from other Mediterranean tourism destinations, but also the changes in travelers’ preferences and needs.