September’s the new August
Short-term rental accommodation bookings data show an extension of the summer tourism season with the promotion of September as the “new August.”
According to AirDNA’s latest monthly survey, Greece recorded the third largest increase in bookings across Europe, with 96% more overnight stays than in the same period last year.
This year’s increase in demand observed for the month of September is an international trend, as significant rises have been recorded in many destinations, such as in Croatia with 129.1%, in Poland with 161.5% and in Austria with 76.4%.
Overall bookings so far for September are up 77.7% from the same period last year. On the contrary, for June the increase does not exceed 13%, while overall the third quarter, the July-September period, is moving at a growth rate of around 40% compared to last year.
These figures demonstrate, on the one hand, the intention of foreign visitors to secure the accommodation of their choice, avoiding last-minute bookings, and, on the other, an attempt to avoid the overcrowding that is often observed in the high season of August at popular destinations.
According to AirDNA’s analysis, “booking trends this year demonstrate a shift in traveler behavior, both in terms of when bookings are made and the extension of the peak season. Historically, September was considered the tail end of the summer tourism season in Europe. But based on today’s bookings, it looks like this month will be much more mobile and hosts will be able to charge higher prices for those who make last-minute bookings at the most popular destinations.”
In a recent survey by Mindhaus, carried out on behalf of the European Travel Commission with data collected in March from a sample of 6,000 people from all the main markets of Greek tourism, it emerged that the third most important criterion for choosing a destination and indeed with an upward trend tendency is to avoid overcrowding.
With reference to prices per overnight stay, in March this year, the average price in the Greek market reached 187 euros, an increase of 26% on an annual basis.
