Figures presented at ShortStay con’f show 20.87 mln overnight stays, 3.46 bln€ of revenue for short-term property leasing in Greece last year

The short-term lease sector in Greece boomed in 2022, according to figures announced at last week’s ShortStay Conference 2023, with more than 20.876 million overnight stays recorded and revenue exceeding a stratospheric 3.468 billion euros.

Owners and managers of various types of private dwellings and lodgings in Greece, from humble studio apartments in urban areas to ultra-luxurious island villas, were the target group of the fifth conference, held at a convention center in the central Athens district of Eleonas. Exhibitors from 10 countries were also on hand.

According to data presented by Key Data, some 155,00 properties are now listed in Greece for short-term leasing, mostly on the AirBnB and VRBO platforms, of which nearly 28,000 are located in the greater Athens area.

On an even more auspicious note, bookings on such platforms for Greek properties last month, January 2023, were up by 43 percent, compared to the corresponding month of 2022.

The figure was up by 25 percent, year-on-year, for properties in Irakleio, Crete, with most other well-known destinations in Greece also recording double-digit increases of booking in January 2023, compared to January 2022.

According to ο James Cassidy, senior director of partner success for Expedia Group, the owner of VRBO, the top 10 Greek destinations, as far as the specific platform is concerned, are Hania (Crete), the greater Athens area (Attica prefecture), Rethymno (Crete), the southern Aegean islands, the island of Corfu, Santorini, Rhodes, the Ionian islands as a whole, Irakleio (Crete) and Cephallonia alone, in the Ionian.

The top 5 markets for arrivals to Greece are the United States – where VRBO has a major presence – the UK, Germany, France and Canada.