Greece Welcomes Nearly 18m Visitors from January to July, but Tourist Spending Declines

Greece is experiencing an increase in tourist arrivals this year, but changing spending habits are evident, according to data released on Monday by the Bank of Greece.

In the first seven months of the year, a total of 17,982,600 foreign tourists visited Greece, contributing to a rise in travel receipts by 577.5 million euros, or 5.6 percent, reaching 10.953 billion euros. The Bank of Greece attributes the increase in travel receipts to an 11.2 percent rise in inbound travel traffic (up from 16,170,400 arrivals in 2023), although the average expenditure per trip decreased by 5.7 percent, dropping to 583.9 euros from 618.9 euros in 2023.

Source: Bank of Greece

Tourist spending down in July

In July alone, inbound travelers increased by 4.1 percent. However, tourist spending showed a decline, with travel receipts falling by 4.2 percent. Specifically, the average non-resident expenditure per trip in Greece dropped by 9.1 percent, from 668 euros in July 2023 to 608 euros this year. Notably, receipts from major euro area countries such as Germany, France, and Italy decreased, while receipts from the United Kingdom rose, and those from the United States fell.

Source: Bank of Greece

January-July Arrivals

During the first seven months, travel traffic through airports increased by 12 percent, while road border station traffic rose by 9.9 percent.

Greece experienced an increase in arrivals from all key source markets, with Germany and the UK leading the way. Arrivals from Germany rose by 13.2 percent, totaling 2.605 million travelers, while travel traffic from the UK increased by 8.1 percent, reaching 2.266 million travelers.

Additionally, arrivals from France grew by 5.2 percent, amounting to 1.065 million travelers, and traffic from Italy rose by 13.8 percent, totaling 990,700 travelers. Arrivals from the United States also increased by 6.9 percent, reaching 788,600 travelers.