Leading luxury hotelier George Filippidis of Andronis Greece says Santorini’s rare calm following the recent earthquakes makes it the perfect time to visit the Cyclades Island.
Earlier this year, a state of emergency was declared in Santorini after more than 1,200 earthquakes hit the tourist hotspot.
Filippidis says despite there being no damage in Santorini, the headlines have led to a significant downturn in tourism.
“There has been an impact on bookings, and we are seeing less than normal for this time. It takes time for people to realise things are back to normal because the headlines are impactful.”
“We stopped receiving new bookings, and there were cancellations, but the cancellations from travel advisors weren’t as high because people had someone to talk to and they could explain it wasn’t as bad as what was being portrayed.
“Eighty percent of the economy is tourism, and so there are a lot of tour guides who are impacted hard, as well as winemakers, and it’s a chain effect, and we expect a difficult season.”
But he says there is an upside, and it’s travellers who will come out the winners.
“There are fewer people, so that means a better experience for everyone, locals and travellers, because all of the restaurants and hotels are much less crowded and the roads are quieter.”
A new era for Andronis
The downturn in tourism comes as a time when Andronis Luxury Suites in Santorini is about to open its doors after a major renovation that has seen the hotel merge with its neighbouring sister property, Alta Mare by Andronis.
All of Andronis five properties (four in Santorini and one in Paros) have now had refurbs in the last 24 months, and for the first time, Filippidis says it’s now looking at opening its sixth property.
“We have an investment in Tuscany, which will be our first property outside of Greece.”
While he can’t elaborate at this stage, he says it’s an exciting project given it’ll be the hotelier’s first hotel outside of its homeland.
Experiential travel top of mind
Filippidis says given the luxury traveller is increasingly wanting to engage with the local community, they’ve also come up with a new initiative in Santorini to meet that demand.
“They are staying for shorter periods, but increasingly we’re seeing that they want to get into the local community and do more activities, so we’re giving guests who stay in the pool villas at Andronis Luxury Suites a Mini Cooper Cabrio for a day during their stay.
“It means they can get out and engage with locals through pottery classes and visiting local communities – and such a nice benefit to drive around in Santorini on a sunny day!”
Filippidis says while there’s going to be a drop in revenue because of the earthquakes earlier this year, they want advisors to know the doors are open, and their clients will have a rare opportunity to experience Santorini while it’s quiet.
“We’ve had a lot of change in the past few years, too. The architecture is more interesting, and a lot of the formerly abandoned villages now have hotels and restaurants. Santorini has really come to life – now’s the time to come.”
For more information, visit Andronis Greece.
