Greece Sees Most 2019 Int’l Air Arrivals in April-October, Study Shows

The majority of international arrivals to Greece in 2018 and 2019 was recorded in the April to October period for both years, according to a study released this week by SETE Intelligence (INSETE), the research department of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).

More specifically, the seven-month period in both years accounted for 87 percent of all arrivals by air. Peak month for air arrivals in 2019 was July with 4.1 million passengers compared to 4 million in 2018.

According to INSETE’s analysis of 2019 data covering international air arrivals for the 2018-2019 period, Greece welcomed 24 million people via air travel, up by 3.5 percent or 810 thousand compared to 2018.

The top five source markets for Greece which accounted for more than half (52 percent) of incoming travel by air in 2019 for the period under consideration were: Germany with 4.1 million arrivals and stronger by 0.7 percent; the UK with 4 million, up by 5 percent; Italy with 1.9 million, up by 5.5 percent; France with 1.4 million, stronger by 7.9 percent; and The Netherlands with 1.1 million, up by 5 percent against 2018.

Completing the 10 leading source markets were Poland with 969,203 passengers visiting Greece, down by 12.4 percent; Cyprus with 837 thousand, weaker by 2.0 percent; Russia with 806 thousand, marking a 6.9 decline; Israel with 715 thousand, up by 11.4 percent; and Switzerland with 703 thousand, stronger by 3.1 percent. The top 10 markets accounted for 69 percent of the total number of arrivals by air in 2019.

Other markets driving incoming tourism in 2019 were Sweden with 615 thousand, down by 6.2 percent; Austria with 610 thousand, up by 23.5 percent; Belgium with 576 thousand, stronger by 1 percent; Denmark with 507 thousand, down by 4.4 percent; and Turkey with 470 thousand, marginally up by 0.8 percent compared to 2018.

Overall, these 15 countries accounted for 81 percent of all incoming travelers by air in 2019, the INSETE study found.