Greece has long been an extremely popular destination for French tourists, with many frequenting a number of Greek islands. Transavia is hoping to capitalize on the increased interest in travel between the two nations as the coronavirus situation begins to improve.
“For the past few weeks, we have observed 30-to-40% more sales (in comparison to) the same time in 2019,” said the CEO of Transavia France, Nathalie Stubler.
It is perhaps surprising that sales this year are surpassing the number of tickets sold in 2019, as the world is still fighting a global pandemic with new challenges in beating the virus cropping up often.
However, it is clear that people all over the globe are tired of shielding in their homes and need to relax and make memories now that the epidemiological picture is beginning to look better in both countries.
As a response to increasing consumer demand, Transavia is planning on making the same number of seats available to travelers online that it offered in 2019 for flights beginning in July through the month of August.
The increase in the number of flights connecting Paris to the Greek island of Corfu is most impressive, with those offered by Transavia Airlines on this flightpath doubling for the Summer.
However, Stubler was quick to point out that this increase in ticket sales is vital for a struggling industry.
“There is a catch-up effect, because for a number of months we did not sell (any tickets),” she highlighted, “but it also shows a strong appetite from customers (to travel).”
However, this does not mean Transavia is throwing caution to the wind by any means. The airline official stressed that the company is prioritizing customer health and following all appropriate coronavirus guidelines.
“In terms of capacity, we will gradually increase. We are already at about 70% in June, while we were at 50% in April during the travel restrictions,” Stubler said.
More direct transatlantic flights to Greece than ever before
With many millions of Americans being fully vaccinated, the interest in traveling to Greece is increasing all the time.
As a result, major tour operators and airlines have added a record-high number of new direct flights to the country to meet the burgeoning demand.
“This summer we have more direct flights from the US than we’ve ever had, which shows that Americans want to travel to Greece,” the Greek Prime Minister noted on Tuesday.
Airlines including American, Delta and United have announced direct flights to Greece from a number of major US cities, making the two nations more connected than ever before.
According to the British bank HSBC, the anticipated increase in tourism this year is poised to add 2% to Greece’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to a new report released on Thursday.
