Greece has unveiled a drastic new plan to lure in even more tourists during winter.
The country’s stunning islands, turquoise waters and gorgeous beaches generated billions of revenue, but tourism bosses believe its lesser-known ski resorts could boost that even further.
Cheaper flights and viral travel destinations have seen a surge in overtourism in the last few years, with hotspots at home and abroad including Majorca, Spain and Cornwall resorting to controversial tourist taxes to equip local infrastructure for the rising demand.
While rising global temperatures have increased Brit holidaymakers’ appetites for beach getaways, other parts of the travel sector are finding it harder to adjust to changes in the climate and tourist habits.
After the warmest year on record in 2024, ski resorts are being left floundering, with the International Ski and Snowboard Federation warning that climate change poses an existential threat to the industry through shorter seasons and erratic snowfall.
Despite being best-known among UK tourists for its sunny beaches and historic islands, Greece is emerging as a hidden gem destination for skiers in the post-COVID rush to book foreign holidays – but bosses want to accelerate business before it becomes any more unviable.
Visitors flocking to the country’s mountainous regions, including the mythical Mount Olympus in the Thessaly region, played a part in Greece’s soaring revenue in 2023 outperforming its pre-pandemic equivalent.
Tourists spent £16.4 billion between January and October 2023, according to the Bank of Greece, marking a 14.7% rise from the revenue generated in 2019.
And the country’s tourism ministry is keen to capitalise on the popularity spike, proposing measures in a new draft bill to offer year-round services at Greek ski resorts and modernise equipment and facilities on par with other European sites.
A sign of the growing mountain tourism industry in Greece is also the region’s inclusion in the country’s EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding plan – with resorts including Parnassos in central Greece and Enilio, near the Albanian border, approved for infrastructure funding totalling around £33 million.
“The strategic goal of the Tourism Ministry is to expand tourism across more regions and throughout the year,” minister Olga Kefalogianni told Greek Travel Pages. “To achieve this, we are upgrading infrastructure and improving the institutional framework to better support Greece’s mountainous destinations.”
The new tourism bill also includes legislation aimed at narrowing the criteria for short-term rentals, as well as streamlining port accessibility and car rental operations.
Despite being below the radar of most non-locals, around 80% of Greece is mountainous and the ski season between December and April makes for a popular contrast to sunnier climes for locals each year.
A lack of prominence on the global stage has let the facilities at some of its biggest resorts fall into disrepair, however, with new investments geared towards fixing broken lifts and elevating basic runs among other planned TLC.
The ministry’s new bill was submitted to parliament on Wednesday, January 8, for review. The plans to open resorts year-round instead of the current five-month season mark a step towards the global trend of resorts either diversifying or closing their doors in response to weather changes.
The huge Alpe du Grand Serre resort in the northern Alps announced closure in October, citing a lack of snowfall and insufficient funds to offer other activities and services across all 12 months.
“The bill is designed to increase tourism competitiveness, improve visitor experience, and ensure long term resilience – while respecting local communities, the environment and people,” Ms Kefalogianni told GTP.
