Greece’s 10-Month International Arrivals Surpass 2023 Levels

Airport and road arrivals to Greece in the January-October period exceeded the total international arrivals for 2023 by approximately 1.18 million, according to INSETE, the research body of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).

Specifically, Greece recorded 35.7 million international arrivals by air and road from January to October 2024. This figure not only surpassed the 32.52 million arrivals during the same period in 2023 but also exceeded the total international arrivals for 2023, which were 34.52 million, marking a 3.42 percent increase over the previous year’s total.

During the January-October period of 2024, Greece welcomed 24.9 million air arrivals and 10.9 million road arrivals, adding up to 35.7 million in total.

In more detail, according to INSETE’s monthly bulletin, international air arrivals for January-October 2024 reached 24.9 million, exceeding both the 23 million recorded during the same period in 2023 and the total of 24.08 million international air arrivals for the entirety of 2023.

This increase represents an 8.1 percent rise, with an additional 1.9 million arrivals. INSETE also noted that the fourth quarter began with a significant uptick in arrivals, up 10.9 percent or an additional 227,000 arrivals, with 2.3 million international arrivals recorded in October alone.

Photo source: Visit Greece

Looking at Greece’s largest airports, Athens International Airport (AIA) recorded 7.1 million international air arrivals from January to October 2024, an increase of 12.6 percent compared to the same period in 2023. Thessaloniki Airport saw 2.1 million international arrivals (+2.3 percent), while Heraklion Airport recorded 3.8 million international arrivals (+6.6 percent). Chania experienced an even greater increase of 8.3 percent, with 1.5 million international arrivals, and Rhodes Airport saw 3 million international arrivals, marking a 13.9 percent rise.

On a regional level, most geographical units saw an increase in international air arrivals from January to October 2024, with the exception of the Cyclades. Specifically, Crete recorded 5.3 million international air arrivals, reflecting a 7.1 percent increase (+351,000), while the Dodecanese recorded 4.4 million, showing a 10.3 percent increase (+413,000). The Ionian Islands also saw a 5.5 percent increase (+196,000), reaching a total of 3.8 million international air arrivals. In the Peloponnese, arrivals amounted to 229,000, showing a 13.9 percent increase (+28,000) compared to the same period in 2023.

In contrast, the Cyclades recorded 1.3 million international air arrivals, reflecting a slight decrease of 0.8 percent (-10,000).

Road arrivals

In the January-October 2024 period, international road arrivals reached 10.9 million, compared to 9.5 million during the same period in 2023. This represents an increase of 13.9 percent, or an additional 1.3 million arrivals. As noted, road arrivals have surpassed pre-pandemic levels from 2019.

The highest number of road arrivals in the January-October 2024 period was recorded at the Promachonas border station, with 2.8 million arrivals. This marked an increase of 235,000 arrivals, or 9.1 percent. Promachonas showed the largest absolute increase in arrivals. The Evzoni station followed with 2.4 million arrivals, reflecting a 9.8 percent increase, while the Kipi station recorded 1 million arrivals, representing a 25.5 percent increase (+210,000).

Travel receipts

In the January-September 2024 period, travel receipts increased by 4.1 percent compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 18,758 million euros. This growth is primarily attributed to a 7.1 percent increase in receipts from European Union residents, which amounted to 10,601 million euros. However, receipts from residents of other countries saw a slight decrease of 2.2 percent, totaling 7,361 million euros.