Chania as a leading destination in 2022 season

Lead: What goes on in the mind of travelers when they think of Crete as a destination? What region is the one that attracts Germans more than Italians or French? And what months are in high demand when tourists search for a place in the sun on the largest Greek island? Is it still August that rules the Greek Summer holiday, or is the low season now trending more than ever before? Our new research and travel data show Chania as a leading destination on Crete, presenting a deep insight into the demand of the world tourist market regarding their summer holidays in Greece.

Germany has always been a top market for the island of Crete. With numerous long sandy beaches, breathtaking landscapes, delicious gastronomy and world-class monuments, it is no surprise that Germans long for vacations to their favorite destination with consistency and stability. Chania is indeed a top destination on Crete for the German market. 

However, new data show that from the beginning of 2022, the highest demand for Chania came from the Greek market, especially for August, followed by the Germans, British, French and Italian travelers. Moreover, British tourists searched for holidays in Chania more intensely in 2022, with their preference increasing significantly between May and August 2022. 

Another highlight of our research was that the demand from the German and UK market was doubled in comparison to the previous year (2021). Also, it seems that the German and the British travelers are evenly distributed throughout the summer season, whereas Greeks and Italians prefer August as their favorite holiday month. 

The German and the UK markets showed double demand in 2022, compared to the demand of 2021 for May, June, July and August. 

Other markets that appeared to have increased their demand are Switzerland, the USA, Denmark, Austria and Norway. Especially, the market of Norway went to the roof taking 4th place after the UK, France and USA, showing a promising new travel market trending for Chania. 

Greeks, Germans and British increased their demand for Chania in May, June and July 2022 compared to 2021

Our data analysis shows that August is king for holidays for the Greeks and Italians compared to the other summer months. However, in 2022 there is an enormous increase in the general demand compared to the same period in 2021, where the need for June, July and May dropped dramatically. In 2022 we see high demand in those months, highlighting the global travel trend that puts low-season months appealing to travel.

In 2022, there is an enormous increase in the general demand for Chania compared to the same period in 2021, where the need for June, July and May dropped dramatically.

This elevation in demand applies to other markets such as France and Italy as well as Switzerland, the USA, Denmark and Norway. 

Norway, in particular, made an impressive entrance into the market of Chania, taking one of the top 5 places on the list of countries with the highest demand. Additionally, we see the neighboring country of Italy going head to head with France with a general increase in the demand for Chania for both markets.

Chania is a leading destination in high and low seasons for Germans, Greek and British travelers 

It is clear and promising that Chania can hope to expand the high season, attracting travelers from the markets of Germany and the UK, as well as domestic tourism from May until August, and move on to a more sustainable growth model for the local tourism industry. 

Furthermore, higher demand in the markets of Switzerland, the USA, Norway, Denmark and Austria for the same period shows a healthy pattern of how local tourism can target new markets and develop new services and products to satisfy a broader range of travel demand and expectations.