Average room rates in hotels in Athens were 2.7% higher in the first five month of the year and reached 77 euros from 74.97 euros in 2013, according to the president of the Athens-Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association Alexandros Vassilakos. Even so, these prices are still the lowest in Europe, he said during a press conference he gave with Yiannis Retsos, president of the Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers.

Mr. Vassilikos noted that although there is a slight recovery in occupancy, the Greek capital still lags behind the European average in regards to bookings and prices. Hotel occupancy in Athens during the January-May 2014 period reached 64 percent, up from 51 percent in 2013.

He said that growth isn’t everywhere in the Greek capital, adding that it was only noted in specific areas in the city center such as Syntagma Square, Syggrou Avenue, Mihalakopoulou Avenue and Poseidonos Avenue. The downtown Omonia area was quite unpopular for tourists.

Both Mr. Vassilakos and Mr. Retsos noted that the supposed expensive room prices in popular Greek destinations are fictitious as the advertized prices differ greatly from actual prices. The fictitious prices only appear that way due to contract conditions signed by hoteliers and international booking websites.