Andros one year stagnates, the next it retreats or the “publications” are no longer enough!…

(Another confirmation of the crisis in the tourism of Andros – after the announcement a few days ago of minus 0.6% in the receipts of 2023 – is provided by the announcement of ELSTAT, which refers to the tourist receipts (accommodations & catering) of the first two months of 2024. Other islands may have recorded significant percentage reductions, but in absolute numbers the real numbers have nothing to do with Andros.

To understand reductions in February 2024 in relation to collections in February 2023, both Tinos (-31.3%) and Santorini (-45%), but the actual figures in Tinos, collections decreased from 59,438 euros to 45,284 euros in Santorini from 3,288,696 euros to 1,779,139 euros, while in Andros, beyond the percentages, the collections fell from 59,710 last year to 19,392 this year!!! What do the percentages say in front of the meager real amounts?

Otherwise, the tourist boards of Andros and their officials pretend that “everything is going well” because there are some positive publications (paid in most cases) with embellished statements of the respective “responsibles”. The “image” is good, but the reality of ELSTAT is better. Differently next to the “Greek Statistics”, which became pan-European between 2002-2012, let’s also put Andros Publications, which are “served” by the tourist “irresponsible-responsible” from time to time with their long-winded statements – IN ANDRO)

THE FOLLOWING IS THE PUBLICATION OF MTC GROUP BASED ON ELSTAT

Given that tourism development regarding the important issue of extending the tourist season is measured in numbers, MTC GROUP has processed and publishes its latest data ELSTAT that record the total turnover of accommodation and catering businesses on the main islands of the Cyclades.

According to them, during February of this year, there were increases, in order of percentages, in Kea and Kythnos by 81.3%, in Mykonos by 37.1%, in Tinos by 31.3%, in Paros by 29.4% and in Milos by 29.4%. Decreases were recorded by Andros (-67.5%), Santorini (-45.9%), Naxos (-4.6%) and Syros (-1.6%). In particular, they were collected in the following Regional Units in euros (in parentheses the amounts of the same month last year):

SYROU 200,333 (203,496)

ANDROU 19,392 (59,710)

KEAS – KYTHNOU 52,882 (29,169)

MILOS 43.330 (33.901)

MYKONOS 1,346,894 (982,347)

NAXOS 126,615 (132,758)

PAROS 214.095 (165.408)

TINOU 59,438 (45,284 )

THIRAS 1,779,137 (3,288,696)

Based on the data available for January 2024, increases were noted in order in Paros (55.3%), Kea-Kythnos (37%) and Mykonos (18.9%). There is no data for the rest of the islands, except Andros where a decrease of 75.8% was recorded in January 2024 and Syros with -2.7%. In particular, the following were collected:

In Syros 147,506 against 151,555 in January 2023, in Andros 16,416 against 67,763, in Santorini 2,086,237 (there are no data available for the same month last year), in Kea and Kythnos 30,351 against 22,156, in Mykonos 1,227,075 against 1,032.3 65, in Paros 191,374 against 123,208 and Tinos 49,661 against 49,896. Tinos was not recorded above in the reductions since the difference is only 235 euros, a negligible amount in terms of the total. For Santorini, Naxos, Milos data is missing from either this year or last January, so no comparison can be made.

According to the above figures, we observe the impressive increase of the Kea-Kythnos section, while on the other hand, the decrease in Andros is notable in both the first two months of the year. At the same time we find that, despite the decrease in arrivals, Mykonos recorded gains in receipts, in contrast to Santorini, while Tinos continues last year’s upward trend throughout the year, as we found in a previous recording and again through the data of ELSTAT.

Finally, it is worth noting that the changes in income in the Activities of Accommodation and Catering Services throughout the country, according to another ELSTAT record, were increased in January 2024 by 11% and in February by 17.2%, which proves that Paros, Kea-Kythnos, Milos, Tinos and Mykonos exceeded the average annual increase in the country as a whole.