Greece’s Tourism Industry Achieves Record Revenues and Arrivals in 2024

Greece’s tourism sector is closing 2024 on a high note, setting new records in both revenue and visitor arrivals, according to the latest data processed and released by INSETE, the research body of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).

Tourism revenues in Greece for the first ten months of 2024 have already surpassed the total for 2023 and are projected to reach 22 billion euros by the end of the year, up from 20.5 billion euros in 2023. Visitor arrivals during January-November have also surged, with many destinations reporting significant growth.

Record visitor arrivals: Air and road traffic surge

Greece welcomed a total of 36.9 million international visitors (air and road arrivals) between January and November 2024. According to data from INSETE, Greece recorded 25.5 million arrivals by air and 11.4 million by road during the first eleven months of the year. This represents a significant increase compared to 2023.

Air arrivals

Athens International Airport. Photo © Greek Travel Pages

Data from the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) and Athens International Airport (AIA) shows that international air arrivals reached 25.5 million in the first eleven months of 2024. This marks an increase of 5.8 percent, or 1.9 million additional arrivals, compared to the same period in 2023. The fourth quarter saw notable growth, with October recording 2.3 million international air arrivals — an increase of 10.9 percent — and November showing a 14.7 percent rise to 613,000 arrivals.

“The overall upward trend reflects a consistent rise in demand for Greek destinations during the autumn season,” INSETE stated in its latest bulletin.

Key destinations such as Rhodes and Crete performed particularly well in the first eleven months of 2024, while Mykonos saw a decline. Athens International Airport recorded 7.5 million international arrivals, up 12.6 percent year-over-year. Crete’s Heraklion and Chania airports also reported strong growth, with increases of 6.8 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively. Rhodes Airport recorded 3 million international arrivals, a 13.9 percent increase, while Kos Airport experienced a 3.9 percent rise. Smaller destinations like Mytilini Airport saw the highest percentage increase, with arrivals up 43.9 percent to 77,000.

Road arrivals

Photo source: AVIS Greece

International road arrivals also saw impressive growth, totaling 11.4 million between January and November 2024—a 15 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. This figure also exceeds pre-pandemic levels in 2019. November alone recorded 577,000 road arrivals, marking a 39.4 percent increase year-over-year.

Bulgaria led in absolute growth, with road arrivals increasing by 838,000 to 5.1 million — a rise of 19.5 percent. Turkey saw the highest percentage growth, with a 29.5 percent increase to 1.4 million arrivals. North Macedonia and Albania also recorded increases of 9.4 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively.

Tourism revenue growth

Tourism revenues for the first ten months of 2024 reached 20.9 billion euros, an increase of 5.5 percent compared to the same period in 2023, according to data from the Bank of Greece.

Germany remained the largest contributor, with receipts totaling 3.6 billion euros. Revenue from Italy increased by 15.7 percent to 1.2 billion euros, while receipts from the United Kingdom rose by 1.3 percent to 3.2 billion euros. The United States also saw a significant increase, with revenues up 10.1 percent to 1.4 billion euros. In contrast, receipts from France declined by 10 percent, totaling 1.26 billion euros.