Film boosts Greek holiday bookings

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The massive popularity of the film Mamma Mia! has given an unexpected boost to the number of UK holidaymakers visiting Greece.

Mamma Mia!, which features film stars Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, has become the UK’s highest-grossing film ever. It is set on the island of Skopelos in Greece.

Airlines and travel operators have reported a shift from euro-zone holidays over the past several months, due largely to the pound’s weakness against the euro, but Greece has actually increased in popularity as a destination.

EasyJet has said that traffic on its flights to Athens has increased by 13 per cent since last July when the film was released. The budget carrier attributes much of the rise in passenger numbers to the film’s appealing depiction of life on the Greek island.

“It has always been a favourite destination for Britons but Mamma Mia! seems to have really captured people’s imagination and reignited British passion for the whole of Greece - both its islands and its historic cities,” said easyJet’s UK manager Paul Simmons.

He added: “Despite the strength of the euro against the pound, the relatively low cost of living in Greece is making it affordable even in a recession.”

EasyJet has added six new flights to Greece, and Monarch Airlines has increased its service, adding two new flights to Vólos on mainland Greece, which is a popular gateway for onward flights to Skopelos.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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