The Daily Beast
On Mykonos, the famous party island in Greece, ‘Everyone is about to explode’
Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP via Getty Images The narrow cuttings in the traditional village of Oia in Santorini are usually full of tourists, even this time of year. The Greek island with the most famous sunset views in the world is always a leading travel destination. But COVID-19 has hampered the growing popularity of the Greek islands in 2020, and although the hot Mediterranean weather means that the tourist season in Greece usually lasts from early April to late October, the streets are relatively quiet. however, and the ease of quick tests, Greece opens to international travelers on May 14 after nearly a year and hopes to regain its success in the past. And business owners on two of its most famous islands, Santorini and Mykonos, expect the reopening to go with a bang. Giorgos Dimitrokalis wakes up every day looking at the beautiful view of the caldera, and although he was born and bred in Santorini, this view of the Aegean Sea never stops him. But for the owner of KD Hotels and Resorts and vice president of the Santorini Hoteliers Association, it’s hard to be the only one who enjoys this view. ‘It feels like a whole other island. Unrecognizable. Last year we joked that the locals had the chance to enjoy the island itself. I hope this summer things will go back as before the pandemic because the island has really suffered. “Unlike other places in Greece, islands like Santorini and Mykonos base most of their economy on tourism. In 2019, tourism, according to the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation, is a little over 20 percent of the country’s total economy. It was the best year in a decade. And then came coronavirus. A view of Oia on the island of Santorini, Greece. Alkis Konstantinidis “It was summer outside, but the people in the streets were just as much as it was winter. There was not even a soul out there. It was surreal, “said Poly Linoxylaki, owner of the Sand Lily boutique at Imerovigli. Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis recently announced a desperation not to lose another year. There are two types of tourists visiting Santorini, explains Dimitrokalis, who owns 10 hotels all around the island: “At the hotels near the beach we have seen a greater interest so far this year. Our customers stay there about seven days, usually families, and mostly Europeans.At the more central hotels, such as those in Caldera and Fyra, there are usually travelers coming from overseas, such as Americans, Brazilians, Chinese and Australians, and they usually stay no longer than three They come to the island, admire the sunset and leave. ”For Embark Beyond, a luxury travel consulting firm in New York,“ Greece and Turkey are possibly the only European countries that sum up is open “for Americans, and therefore they suggest their customers ‘book now before the floodgates open and it’s too late.’ “What we are told is that the international flights to Greece will be open for tourism from all over the world on May 14. Just wait for the officials to tell us what the protocols will be for this year,” said Dimitrokalis, pointing out that Americans are among the island’s biggest fans. “Most of the tourists who visit Santorini come from the US and Australia, and for some reason they will not be able to come, I will have a big problem,” he says. Linoxylaki, which sells clothing and accessories, is mostly made by Greek designers. “These are my customers. They support small businesses like me.” Time of year, bookings for the summer would normally be around 70-80 percent, but according to Dimitrokalis it is today up to 25-30 percent. “We hope that next month more people will be interested and we expect to be able to reach around 50 per cent by 2019 by the end of the season. We hope to be able to reach a booking at the last minute to achieve our goal,” he said. says most discussions start from mid-summer, but everyone is optimistic. “If the weather is good, we expect to extend this year’s season, because we are losing all the first three months,” said Dimitrokalis, and this is something Linoxylaki agrees with, even though she doubts the reopening: “We hope that September and October will be the highlight of this season. But I have to be honest, I personally do not believe that we will be able to open on May 14, as the government said. Like Santorini, most of the Greek islands suffered their share last year. Among them Mykonos, the popular Cycladic island with its bright white houses and wild nightlife. When Kim Kardashian and her family traveled to Mykonos in 2013 to film the eighth season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim was pregnant with North and the island was full of paparazzi … and many tourists. Overview of the Chora of Mykonos with sunset. Demetrios Ioannou Today, Iraklis Zisimopoulos, CEO of the Semeli Hospitality Group, who presented the Kardashian family and their crew almost a decade ago, looks back to those days with a degree of nostalgia, but with confidence for the future. ‘I’m sure they’ll be back; coronavirus will not last forever. It may not be this year, but we see that the dynamics of Mykonos are not lost and we are sure that even better days will come. ‘Zisimopoulos is also the general secretary of the Mykonos Catering and Entertainment Association, as well as the president of the Mykonos Town Association of Enterprises and Professionals. “I have hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs, and everything is closed,” he says with a bitter smile. Konstantinos Koukas, the island’s mayor, told the Athens news agency in September that they were only 30 percent from 2019 last season, and as Zisimopoulos explains: “Last year was catastrophic, but we hope this year will be different. It will certainly not be nearly a normal season, but it will certainly not be like 2020. “The most important role in its formation is the protocols under which tourists can enter Greece.” know that there are three options: 1) The people who have already been vaccinated, 2) Those who have tested negative in the last 48 hours, and 3) Those who have been ill and now have antibodies, “says Zisimopoulos, a doctor himself But when it comes to Mykonos, people do not travel to the island just for the beautiful view or to swim in the crystal clear blue sea, they go because they want fun and everyone has only one thing on their mind … the nightlife! Mykonos is known worldwide as the “party island” of Greece and a country where you can be openly who you are. Anastasios Kapetanias has contributed just as much to this reputation. For the director and founder of XLSIOR Festival, the only gay music festival. in Greece and among the top five in the world, last year wa This is the first time he has had to cancel it, as it was first launched in 2009. But he hopes very well for this summer. “People are thirsty for fun “, he says.” We receive a lot of emails every day from people who call us me to do the festival this year. They tell us’ we must see our friends; we must feel free again ‘. Everyone is about to explode; we can no longer stand it. “For the Greek government, nightlife is not a top priority and it will be one of the last things to open up, and under what conditions is still unknown. But for the local economy, it’s XLSIOR alone brings more than 30 each summer. 000 people from all over the world to the island. “We have people who come from the USA, Brazil, Spain, Israel, and most of them are people who come every year”, explains Kapetanias, who also works with various local businesses such as hotels, rental cars, restaurants, etc. to assist its customers. “Last August when the government decided to close all pubs and clubs at midnight, all bookings were stopped and many were canceled,” says Zisimopoulos. The whole situation was completely surreal, as Kapetanias describes it: “People were everywhere in the streets looking for a few villa parties to go and everyone was hiding as if we were at war. This is not Mykonos.” One of the windmills overlooking the Chora or Mykonos Demetrios Ioannou The Greek government has decided to vaccinate all residents of small islands, with less than 1,000 inhabitants, with some of the first COVID-free islands in Greece, including Kastellorizo And Oinousses. Can a similar plan work for Mykonos, with about 10,000 people? Zisimopoulos is confident that it will solve many of their problems: ‘If all the inhabitants are vaccinated, whatever happens to the island, we will have a strong protective shield.In a normal season we would have at least ten bookings a day.The maximum is now 2. The last 20 days we have seen some movement and we have reservations from the UK, Israel and the USA, where the vaccination is faster. Most of the discussions are for July and August. ‘Kapetanias, on the other hand, suggests that a good idea for reopening live festivals like him could be the quick tests.’ “They can go to a clinic on the island earlier. Do the test on the same day and if it is negative, they can participate and enter the results. We just have to be super organized so that the people will be completely safe.” And although no one sure knows what this summer nightlife is going to be like. be, the engines on the island are on and everyone is organizing and hoping they do not have to cancel again. “Due to the situation, we will be able to organize events in dreamy places, where it was not possible in other years. This year, most of our events will also take place outdoors. Of course, we will also bring along the best DJs, musicians and dancers that our audience loves. get a big part of our lives and vacations back, and because we’ve been deprived of so many things over the past year, it’s going to make us feel so much better. I really believe there is hope at hand, ”said Zisimopoulos. Kapetanias agrees: “To be honest, I want to see happy people this summer who will laugh, have fun, be safe and come back next year.” Read more at The Daily Beast. every day top stories in your inbox. Join now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside is more about the stories that matter to you. Learn more.