Crete tourist guide

Samaria attracts tourists

2023-02-11 18:42:12

There are many places in Crete that tourists strongly associate with a holiday stay on the island. Certainly , the Samaria Gorge is among the most recognizable ones. The popularity of this place is evidenced by the fact that over the last 5 years it has been visited by nearly 635,000 people. people. This number would certainly be even higher if during this period, especially in 2020, there were no restrictions on tourist traffic. It is even more worth emphasizing that over the entire last year, the first full season in several years, Samaria was visited by less than 169,000 people. tourists.

This is a record result, which looks particularly impressive against the backdrop of tourist traffic recorded during the pandemic years. The total number of visitors to the Samaria Gorge in this period is lower than last year. In 2021, about 95,000 people went trekking through the local trail. people. A real collapse in tourist traffic was recorded in 2018, when only 56,000 people came to the gorge. people, which is a result comparable to 1981.

It is worth noting, however, that last year's number of visitors is even higher than the record-breaking years of 2018-19, when the Samaria Gorge was visited by 155,000 and 159,000, respectively. people. In our opinion, the next few seasons should bring some normalization and stabilization in terms of the number of guests. Last year was special in many respects. For many people, it was the first opportunity in several years to go abroad, implement holiday plans or explore freely.

When discussing the results of the number of people visiting the Samaria Gorge, it is worth considering how this place is perceived by its visitors. An excellent source of answers to this question are the results of the annual survey organized by the Observatory of Tourism of the Mediterranean Agricultural Institute in Chania in cooperation with the Cretan University of Technology, the Directorate of Forests of Chania and the Samaria National Park Board. The aim of the survey is not only to find out the level of satisfaction with the trip to the gorge, but also to learn about the tourists' knowledge about Samaria.

Why Samaria, why Crete?

Approximately every fifth tourist who completed the survey admitted that the main reason for choosing Crete as a holiday destination was the desire to trek through the Samaria Gorge. This result shows how significant this place is for the local community.

As many as half of the respondents admitted that they learned about the Samaria Gorge mainly thanks to information from the Internet. Interestingly, quite a lot of people, about 40%, indicated that they were persuaded to trek along the local trail by their friends, relatives or close family. As you can see, the so-called word of mouth is still a pretty good way to promote. Of course, a prerequisite for using this option is to obtain a good guest satisfaction score. Fortunately, the Samaria Gorge does not have to worry about the height of this parameter. The vast majority of visitors to this place declare that they are satisfied with the trip and would certainly recommend a visit to Samaria National Park to their relatives and friends.

It is also worth adding that some people indicated in the survey that the visit to the Samaria Gorge motivated them to look for information about other hiking trails in Crete that are located in this area of the island. Some also declared that they would gladly stay in the area of the Samaria Gorge longer, taking advantage of local accommodation and local taverns.

Who and how visits the Samaria Gorge

Although the trail leading through the gorge is not the shortest and seems to be quite physically demanding, there is no clear division in terms of the number of people due to gender. A trip to the Samaria Gorge is equally popular among men and women.

The vast majority of guests are between the ages of 20 and 50. As many as 60% of the respondents had higher education and declared an annual income of PLN 10,000 to PLN 45,000. €.

Interestingly, as many as 1/3 of the respondents declared that it was not their first visit to the Samaria Gorge. As you can see, the place is not perceived by quite a large number of people as a one-time tourist attraction.

The vast majority of tourists participating in the survey indicated that they got to the Samaria Gorge by bus. In the case of 42% of guests, these were buses belonging to tourist agencies, while less than 21% of people indicated that they used vehicles belonging to the local carrier KTEL. It is worth adding here that it is the cost of transfer to and from the Samaria Gorge that is one of the worst rated elements of the trip.

Conclusions from the study

One of the main conclusions from the study is that the management of the Park is required to increase the availability of information about the Samaria Gorge in the digital space. A good start to these activities is the currently available electronic version of the ticket, which in the future should be linked to a mobile application providing visitors with the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Samaria Gorge and its flora and fauna. Additional alternative routes within the park should also be considered in the future.

Piotrek,  2023-02-11 18:42:12

źródło

Średnia: NAN

Liczba ocen: 0

• 0.5
• 1.0
• 1.5
• 2.0
• 2.5
• 3.0
• 3.5
• 4.0
• 4.5
• 5.0

 

 

Oceniłeś na: