Eurostat: Foreign Visitor Overnight Stays in Greece Slower than EU Average

Photo source: Visit Greece

Greece together with Poland and Lithuania marked the smallest increase in the number of overnights stays by foreign travelers in the first quarter (Q1) of the year, according to data released this week by Eurostat.

More specifically, in the January-March period, Greece recorded a 3 percent rise in overnight stays by foreign visitors compared to the EU year-on-year average of 11 percent.

The largest increases in overnight stays made by foreign visitors were seen in Cyprus up by 23 percent, Croatia (+22 percent), Malta and Luxembourg (both +21 percent) in Q1.

Overall in Q1 2024, accommodation facilities in the EU reported 452.6 million overnight stays, marking a 7 percent increase compared to Q1 2023. Broken down: January saw 133.9 million nights up by 3 percent over January 2023, February 149.2 million (+6 percent), and March 169.5 million (+9 percent).

The report goes on to add international visitors accounted for approximately 45 percent of all overnight stays in the first three months of 2024, with considerable variations among EU states.

The largest share of foreign overnight stays was recorded in Malta (91 percent), Cyprus (87 percent), Luxembourg (82 percent), and Austria (78 percent). The smallest share was reported in Poland, Romania and Germany, where foreign guests accounted for only one-fifth of overnight stays or 19 percent, 20 percent, and 20 percent, respectively.