Mykonos tourism decline linked to high costs

International air traffic to Mykonos is on a downward trajectory for another year, according to plans for available seats that airlines have for this summer so far.

On the other hand, passenger traffic from abroad to Santorini is stabilizing after a year of decline.

This contrasts with the wider performance of Greece, which shows increased scheduled air seats from abroad by 8.1%.

Tourism on Mykonos has been in a period of decline for the past three years, a trend attributed on the one hand to the very large numbers of visitors without the necessary carrying capacity and infrastructure, and on the other to the particularly high prices and the low value-for-money, according to sources in the Greek tourism industry.

Last year, international passenger traffic to Mykonos airport fell by 5.9% to 1.12 million travelers from 1.19 million in 2022. In Santorini, meanwhile, international passenger traffic at the airport decreased by 9.9% to 1.5 million travelers from 1.7 million in 2022.

For this summer, airlines have scheduled 5.8% fewer seats on their flights to Mykonos, according to the Airdata tracker data of the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE).

The biggest reductions are found in flights from the UK. The corresponding flight schedule for the same period to Santorini appears unchanged compared to last year, as it shows a marginal change of -0.2%.