South Aegean and Ionian Islands Best Greek Tourism Performers in 2022

The island of Karpathos in the South Aegean Region.

The South Aegean and the Ionian islands were the best performing tourism regions in Greece, according to an annual report released this week by INSETE, the Greek Tourism Confederation’s (SETE) research body.

Based on 2022 data, the South Aegean was the best performing region in terms of revenues reaching 4.7 billion and remaining once again in the lead, accounting for 27 percent of all travel receipts among the country’s 13 regions.

Moving up in terms of average spending per traveler were the Ionian islands, which include popular destinations like Zakynthos and Corfu, marking a 31 percent rise in average spending to 821 euros compared to pre-pandemic 2019.

The Greek island of Corfu in the Ioanian.

On the downside, the poorest tourism performance was seen in the Western Macedonia Region with revenues reaching 49 million euros and in the Epirus Region with average spending per traveler coming to 240 euros.

According to an INSETE study released last month, 90 percent of Greece’s 24 billion euros in tourism revenues in 2022 were concentrated in five of the country’s 13 regions.

Leading the way once again in terms of arrivals was the South Aegean islands, which includes favorites such as Rhodes, Santorini and Mykonos, with 6.7 million arrivals or 21 percent of total inbound traffic to Greece. Next was the Region of Central Macedonia accounting for 18 percent of total arrivals at 5.6 million thanks in large part to road tourism.

Looking at customer satisfaction, among the 13 regions in Greece, only two scored above 90 percent: Epirus (90.8 percent) and the Cyclades islands  (90.2 percent).

Lake Pamvotida, Ioannina, Epirus.

“Greece has a strong tourism product with great variety and development potential,” said INSETE General Manager Elias Kikilias. He added that policymakers should focus on addressing seasonality, expanding tourist activity in areas with potential, and working to increase average spending and length of stay.

“At the same time, a holistic approach to destinations based on local specificities and the necessary investments in infrastructure is necessary for a balanced development that will benefit permanent residents, while contributing to the creation of a competitive tourist experience,” he said.