Greece keeps shining bright on the international tourism stage and is among the world’s top five travel destinations for the summer of 2025, ranking fourth alongside Portugal, according to a new survey.
The survey, conducted by the Marriot Bonvoy loyalty program “Ticket to Travel 2025,” included members from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Spain tops the list (24%), followed by Italy (17%) and France (13%). Greece and Portugal share the fourth place (9%) and are followed by the UK (7%) and Germany (6%). Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States are further down in the list.
According to Marriot Bonvoy, Madrid and Krakow, show the highest growth in bookings (37%) among European destinations in the survey, which also highlights emerging trends, such as wealthy individuals increasingly opting for luxury accommodation (76% choose five-star hotels). Moreover, the survey shows that there is an increased tendency, especially among the younger generation, to explore destinations where they may have family roots (43% of those aged 18-24 plan such trips).
Greece travel prospects for 2025 appear optimistic
Greece’s tourism prospects are already looking positive for the upcoming 2025 tourist season. During the World Travel Market, the largest tourism exhibition, in London in November 2024, demand for Greece remained strong. According to the president of the Hellenic Hoteliers Federation, early bookings for next year show a significant increase compared to the same time last year. Many hotels are currently offering discounts of up to 25% if not higher, and the increased demand may stem from the fact that tourists are taking advantage of these early-booking discounted prices.
Meanwhile, according to CV Villas, a British villa management company, bookings for luxury villas in Greece for 2025 have increased by 29% compared to the same period last year, reflecting a steady preference among top spending tourists.
This year is expected to close with record-breaking tourist arrivals and revenue. For 2025, when Greece hopes to set new tourism records, the Greek government anticipates generating millions of euros in new charges on the hospitality and tourism sectors. These includie an increase in the climate resilience fee and a new levy for cruise passengers.
Tourism already breaks previous records in 2024
According to the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), Greece welcomed 22.6 million international air arrivals during the first nine months of 2024, surpassing the 20.9 million during the same period in 2023.
In the same nine months, Greece recorded 10.3 million international arrivals by road, up from 9 million in 2023 (a 14.5% increase).
Data from the Bank of Greece also shows a 3,2% increase in tourism revenue during the first eight months of 2024.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently declared 2024 a record year for tourism, citing increased revenues and the extension of the tourist season.
In 2023, Greece generated over 20 billion euros in revenues from tourism, which accounts for about a quarter of the country’s GDP.