There are currently around 15 ski resorts operating in the country, attracting thousands of Greek and foreign visitors
An excellent season for winter tourism enthusiasts and skiers is underway, thanks to favorable weather conditions, with ski resorts recording record attendance and accommodation in the surrounding areas filling up.
At the same time and while the ski centers are being modernized, they are simultaneously oriented towards creating conditions for mountain tourism, enriching their operation with activities that can attract visitors all year round. A record number of visitors is recorded at the Kalavryton ski center, which exceeds 15,000 people per day, in its first year of operation after upgrading its infrastructure. According to the director of the ski resort, Alexis Agrios, speaking to APE, the center this year is the first year that it operates in this form, that is, having completed the upgrades made through funds that came from the NSRF and exceeded 22 million. euro. “Last year we had a very bad season due to the weather conditions, but part of our planning for the next investments is to ensure artificial snowfall,” he notes.
Of course, the ski center of Kalavryta has already moved on and implements actions throughout the year, attracting thousands of visitors in other seasons as well. Like the music act Helmos Mountain Festival and more. “What we are trying to do is to answer the questions that nature itself poses. This year we have a winter that promises to be very good, after a year where the winter was very bad weather wise for the ski resorts. So, our goal is to turn the mountain, the ski resort, into a destination for all seasons of the year. That is, in a four-season, 12-month multi-theme park, which will essentially give us year-round traffic and thereby ensure sustainability. In this context, the idea of the Helmos mountain festival was born, which has already been held for two years with great success, as it attracted around 15,000 people to the ski resort and is something that has now become an institution. We have also organized cycling races. These days we had record attendance with 9,000-10,000 people and at one point we even closed the street. People come from all over Greece, but we were impressed that this year we also saw tourists from Ecuador and Chile, among the foreigners who visit us”, pointed out Mr. Agrios.
The ski resorts attract not only the Greeks who love the mountain and the snow but also tourists who come to our country for tourism during this period. At Parnassos, the country’s largest ski resort, for example, there are many Chinese who include it in their program and go skiing, as Antonis Turkochoritis, director of Parnassos ski resort, reports. “We have many foreign visitors, but especially the Chinese who go to Athens, include in their program, the archaeological sites of Delphi and the ski center of Parnassos. More generally, our visitors are many and they include foreign tourists, mainly from Europe. These days we receive over 5,500 people a day and it looks like we are going for a record year. The ski season this year started very early, we are already on the 15th day, our ski center is one of the most modern and has five state-of-the-art lifts. The Greek must know his mountains and I want to emphasize the following: We are at the top of three prefectures of Boeotia, Fthiotida and Fokida. In addition to Arachova and Delphi, our ski resort is also very close to Polydrosos, Amfikleia and Agoriani, just 20 minutes away. They are very worthy destinations and with very good access, at a short distance and with affordable prices”, emphasized Mr. Turkochoritis.
At the country’s second largest ski resort, Seli on Mount Vermio, visitors reach 5,000 per day, according to the president of the Seli ski resort, Apostolos Meliopoulos. “The center started operating on December 19 and we are full every day with visitors ranging from 2000 to 5000 people. It is the second largest ski resort in Greece, with the best access and 50 minutes from the second largest urban center of the country, Thessaloniki. Through the development law, as planned, when the artificial snowmaking is completed, we will ensure the winter season for the coming years, as a great effort is being made by the State and the local government”, emphasizes Mr. Meliopoulos. “The weather has been kind to us this season. We have a lot of people and many tourists from abroad, from Italy and Germany. We used to have many Israelis. This year we have from France, those who visit us have been surprised. They are tourists who go to Thessaloniki mainly, and also come to Seli for skiing and recreation”, adds Mr. Meliopoulos.
At the moment, approximately 15 ski resorts are operating, as noted by Panagiotis Vatikiotis, who has been following the data in the country’s ski resorts for 28 years through the “snow report”. “We have seen such a good situation and prolonged for years, as skiing, as we have seen in recent years, is in crisis, due to climate change. Kalavrita, Parnassos, Seli and Tria-Pente Pigadia work very well, as does Anilio. Only Mainalo has some snow. All the rest are operating normally: Pelion, Kaimaktsalan, Karpenisi, Pisoderi Florina, Lailia, Falakro, Elatochori, Vasilitsa”.
In the ski center of Anilios in Metsovo, in addition to the crowds of winter, the managers also launch additional actions to attract visitors in other seasons as well. As Vassilis Tzoumakas, Manager of Anilio Metsovou Ski Center, reports, the ski resort this year opened on the first weekend of December and receives over 2,500 people daily: “It is the newest ski resort in Greece, with six lifts and we have people from all over Europe. Don’t forget that in Switzerland only 17% of visitors are skiers and in Greece 7%. All others are visitors and tourists who love the mountain. The ski center is a driver of development for the entire local community: Restaurants, hotels, equipment shops, etc. work. We, have oriented ourselves to be a pole of attraction for tourism throughout the year. Let’s not forget that the Anilio Park Festival, which took place last summer, brought 100% occupancy in the accommodations of the wider area in the middle of August.”
