Film frenzy drives property buyers to Greece

The blockbuster hit Mamma Mia! resulted in a 120% jump in potential buyers viewing property in Greece in just one month following release of the film, which was set on the sleepy Greek island of Skopelos, says PropertyIndex.com, which lists property worldwide.

The highest grossing UK box office hit of all time, has sparked a desire to own a holiday home in the idyllic Greek islands and, as the summer buying season approaches, interest in the Greek islands has remained consistently high, with 24,852 viewings of property online in March 2009, compared with just 9,812 a year ago.

Lee Bramzell, Chief Executive of PropertyIndex.com, said:

“British buyers are clearly captivated by Mamma Mia's idyllic portrayal of life in the Greek islands and are intent on finding their own island hideaway. Greece offers a fantastic climate with mild winters and 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, resulting in a long rental season from April to October. The cost of living is low and property prices are affordable with 2-bed properties costing in the region of £165,529.

“With second homeowners looking not only looking for value for money but also the opportunity to recoup some of the costs through renting the property out for all or part of the year, Greece is a top performing destination.”

Budget airline Easyjet has also recently reported a 13% increase in sales of flights to Athens since the film was release last summer.

Mamma Mia!, featuring the songs of ABBA and based on the popular West End musical, has grossed in excess of $600 million worldwide and is the biggest box office hit the UK has ever seen.