The usual influx of visitors to Crete over the Easter period took place as expected but there were some subtle changes to normal behaviour that has got local tourism authorities thinking hard.

Easter is a great marker for the travel industry and the extended bank holiday weekend that is typically consistent across Europe, together with a longer school holiday (normally two whole weeks) means an early year holiday is on the cards for many people.

The typical destinations are not normally the mainland European resorts that attract millions of people during the height of summer, but the island destinations that have a better chance of pleasant weather at this time of year.

The Canaries are always popular, as are Mallorca and Malta. Also, Cyprus and Crete attract their fair share of tourists at Easter. This year Crete , in the run up to the Easter weekend, saw roughly the same number of arrivals at Chania Airport as previous years, but hotel reservations were down by a reported 10 to 15 per cent and in the city some hotels reported guest numbers down by up to 50 per cent. Statistics should always be taken for what they are and there may be technical reasons for the changes, but equally the figure could indicate some changing trends. Perhaps villa holidays will be more popular this year or the difference could be attributable to business travel reductions.

Whatever the reasons, the holiday season has certainly kicked off in Crete's major towns of Chania and Rethymnon and the island is looking forward to another great summer.