Greece Recoups pre-Covid Tourism Numbers in 2023 But Lags Behind Competitors

Greece managed to fully recover and even surpass pre-pandemic 2019 tourism levels in terms of arrivals and revenues but still failed to outperform main rival markets such as Turkey and Portugal.

According to GBR Consulting data, Greece managed in the 10 months to October 2023 to increase its European market share of arrivals by 4.1 percent while competitor Portugal boosted its share of international arrivals by 11 percent and Turkey by 6.3 percent.

Among rival markets that failed to exceed pre-pandemic levels were Italy with the number of arrivals still down by 11.4 percent over 2019 and Croatia by 2.6 percent losing a significant share of the market.

In addition to arrivals and revenues, the country’s hotels managed to increase revenue per available room (RevPAR) and average room rate (ARR) despite lower occupancy levels. Hotels in both Athens and Thessaloniki both recorded increases.

ARR increased by 29 percent for hotels in Athens and RevPAR by 27 percent while Thessaloniki marked a 25 percent rise in ARR and a 19.7 percent in revenue per available room.

Indicative of the demand for Greece, potential travelers in seven international markets included the country in their top choices in 2024.