Greece’s tourism industry experienced robust growth in the first four months of 2025, welcoming over 4.1 million tourists, a 5.8 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
This surge translated into a significant 10.6 percent rise in tourism revenues, reaching €2.1 billion, according to data from the Bank of Greece.
Key trends in tourist arrivals to Greece
The overall increase in arrivals was primarily driven by air travel, which saw a notable 10.8 percent rise. Conversely, land border crossings experienced a 3.9 percent decrease.
A significant shift in market composition was observed:
- Non-EU countries were the primary growth engine, with arrivals increasing by 19.7 percent to a total of 2 million visitors.
- EU-27 countries saw a decline of 5.4 percent, reaching 2.04 million visitors. Within the EU, arrivals from eurozone countries increased by 3.2 percent, but this was offset by a sharp 27.9 percent drop from non-eurozone EU countries.
Country-Specific Performance:
- United States: Continued to be a strong performer, with arrivals soaring by approximately 26.9 percent to 339.5 thousand visitors.
- United Kingdom: Showed a remarkable increase of 41.5 percent in arrivals, reaching 294.6 thousand visitors.
- Germany: Inflows from Germany rose by 3.6 percent, totaling 475.5 thousand visitors, maintaining its position as a key market.
- France: Experienced a significant decline in visitors, down 22.6 percent to 164.6 thousand.
- Italy: Also saw a decrease of 11.0 percent in arrivals, amounting to 198.3 thousand visitors.
- Russia: Visitors from Russia showed a slight increase, reaching 2.8 thousand.
Revenue performance and spending patterns:
The overall 10.6 percent increase in tourism revenues to €2.1 billion was largely fueled by a substantial 26.0 percent increase in revenues from non-EU countries, which contributed €1 billion. In contrast, revenues from EU-27 countries declined by 1.8 percent, totaling €1.025 billion.
Breaking down the revenue figures:
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- Non-EU Countries: United States: Revenues surged by 36.8 percent to €325.5 million, highlighting higher spending per visitor from this market.
- United Kingdom: Contributed €167.8 million, a 23.4 percent increase.
- Russia: Revenues rose to €2.5 million.
- EU-27 Countries: Revenues from eurozone countries were down 5.7 percent, reaching €861.5 million. Revenues from EU-27 countries outside the eurozone, however, increased by 25.4 percent to €164.1 million.
- Germany: Revenues from Germany saw a modest increase of 0.8 percent to €297.1 million.
- France: Revenues dropped by 25.0 percent to €110.2 million.
- Italy: Revenues also fell by 6.6 percent to €110.3 million.
These figures underscore a positive start to Greece’s tourism year, with a strong rebound in long-haul markets and a significant contribution from non-EU visitors, despite some declines from traditional European source markets.
In 2024, Greece had a second consecutive record-breaking year. The nation welcomed more than 40 million visitors, yielding a substantial €21.7 billion ($25.09 billion) in revenue.
This represents a robust 5.4 percent increase compared to 2023, signaling a potent recovery and growth trajectory following the relaxation of COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions. Projections indicate that 2025 is poised to surpass these figures yet again.
Related: Tourism Alone Won’t Save Greece: Why a Complex Economy Is Urgently Needed