Making Domestic Destinations Attractive:An Empirical Study from Mountainous Greece

Domestic Tourism has not been researched as much as international tourism has. In addition, mountain tourism tends to be associated with skiing and other snow or winter related activities mostly. This field of tourism becomes even less researched when the country is considered a popular sea and sun summer destination where international and domestic tourist arrivals peak during the summer months. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the value of domestic mountain tourism at a popular domestic destination which is primarily accessible by surface means of transport, therefore international tourists find it harder to reach. From a regional perspective, the paper addresses the impact the financial crisis had on domestic tourism length of stay and discusses how these destinations can adapt their tourism offering to become more attractive and competitive.The empirical part of the paper consists of primary data randomly selected by questionnaire during the holiday period between Christmas and New Year, a period where the destination is experiencing high occupancy rates and visitor numbers. The analysis of the data indicates that there are some dominant source markets followed by a high proportion of day visitors who could potentially convert to tourists. The findings of this paper contribute to the literature regarding domestic and mountain destinations, not necessarily linked to snow activities. Conclusions can be applied to other popular domestic destinations not only in Greece but other countries too and applied accordingly for their benefit