165 Greece Tourism Statistics for 2026

How many tourists visit Greece each year?

Greece has two official counts of visitors. The Bank of Greece Border Survey counts non-resident travellers as they enter the country, and ELSTAT counts arrivals and nights in registered tourist accommodation. Both rose in 2025, but they measure different things, so we give each with its own source.

• Non-residents 73.8%
• Greek residents 26.2%

• Including cruise passengers, the Border Survey counted 43,311.9 thousand inbound travellers in 2025, 5,330.8 thousand of them on cruises. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• The Border Survey count rose 5.6% from 35,951.4 thousand in 2024. Traveller flows through airports grew at the same rate and flows through road border crossings by 6.9%. (Bank of Greece (travel services release), Feb 2026)
• Counting cruise passengers, Border Survey visitors spent 244.7 million nights in Greece in 2025. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Non-resident guests made 28,175,239 arrivals in Greek tourist accommodation in 2025, up 2.9%, and spent 131,051,335 nights there. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Greek residents spent 25,295,948 nights in their own country's tourist accommodation in 2025, 16.2% of the total. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)

The Border Survey counts trips by non-residents, wherever they stay. ELSTAT counts arrivals and nights in registered accommodation, so one traveller who stays in three places counts three times, and most private rentals outside the register are left out. The two measures are not comparable and are never added together. The Border Survey headline leaves out cruise passengers other than those it records directly.

How has Greek tourism grown over time?

Spending by foreign visitors has more than doubled since the debt crisis low of 2010 and has set a new record each year since 2023. Nights in accommodation have grown more slowly. The pandemic cut receipts to less than a quarter of their 2019 level in 2020.

View data table

Travel receipts from foreign visitors to Greece, in euros at current prices. Receipts collapsed in 2020 and have set a record every year since 2023.

Period	Value
2003	9.5bn
2008	11.6bn
2010	9.6bn
2015	14.1bn
2019	18.2bn
2020	4.3bn
2021	10.5bn
2022	17.7bn
2023	20.6bn
2024	21.6bn
2025	23.6bn

• Foreign visitors spent 9,495.3 million euros in Greece in 2003, and receipts reached a pre-crisis peak of 11,635.9 million in 2008. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• During the debt crisis receipts fell to a low of 9,611.3 million euros in 2010. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Receipts rose to 18,178.8 million euros in 2019, then fell to 4,318.8 million in 2020, the first pandemic year. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• They passed the 2019 level again in 2023, at 20,593.6 million euros, and reached 21,592.3 million in 2024. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Nights in Greek tourist accommodation in 2025 were 8.9% above the 2019 total of 143.6 million. Non-resident nights were 120.0 million in 2019. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• Arrivals in tourist accommodation fell to 10.10 million in 2020, then recovered to 31.41 million in 2022, 35.78 million in 2023 and 37.15 million in 2024. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Nights in accommodation rose from 38.48 million in 2020 to 132.75 million in 2022 and 152.94 million in 2024. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Hotel nights alone reached 119.0 million in 2025, up from 58.3 million in 2021; non-residents spent 100.9 million of them. (ELSTAT (Greece in Figures), Jul 2026)

Receipts are the travel line of the balance of payments, built by the Bank of Greece from its Border Survey. They are at current prices and exclude international fares. The Bank estimated 2020 data for 15 March to 30 June from administrative and historical data. Receipts and accommodation nights are different measures and are not charted together.

How does Greece compare with other EU countries?

Greece is a mid-sized EU destination by volume but one of the most reliant on foreign guests. It ranks seventh in the EU for travel receipts and fourth for nights by foreign visitors.

1. 1 Spain 105.1bn
2. 2 France 77.5bn
3. 3 Italy 56.7bn
4. 4 Germany 37.8bn
5. 5 Portugal 29.1bn
6. 6 Austria 25.9bn
7. 7 Greece 23.6bn

• Greece's travel receipts were the seventh highest in the EU in 2025, behind Spain (105.1 billion euros), France (77.5 billion), Italy (56.7 billion), Germany (37.8 billion), Portugal (29.1 billion) and Austria (25.9 billion). (Eurostat, Apr 2026)
• Greece took 4.7% of all EU travel receipts in 2025. (Eurostat, Apr 2026)
• Greece recorded the fourth most nights by non-residents in the EU in 2025, about 8.5% of the EU total, after Spain (328.9 million), Italy (301.6 million) and France (150.8 million). (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• On total nights, counting residents too, Greece ranked fifth, after Italy (535.5 million), Spain (512.9 million), France (471.7 million) and Germany (440.2 million). (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• Greece was sixth in the EU for non-resident arrivals at tourist accommodation, after Italy (87.9 million), Spain (80.0 million), France (58.7 million), Germany (37.1 million) and Austria (29.8 million). (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• Only Malta (94.3%), Cyprus (92.8%), Croatia (90.3%) and Luxembourg (88.6%) had a higher foreign share of accommodation nights in 2025. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)

Rankings cover EU members only; Turkiye and Switzerland also report to Eurostat but are not included. The 2025 balance-of-payments figures are provisional, and Eurostat's receipts for Greece come from the Bank of Greece.

Where do Greece's visitors come from?

Germany is Greece's largest market on the Bank of Greece Border Survey, by travellers and by spending. In registered accommodation the United Kingdom comes first, on ELSTAT's count. The two measures differ, so the order depends on which one is used.

1. 1 United Kingdom 4.62m
2. 2 Germany 3.59m
3. 3 United States 2.40m
4. 4 France 1.82m
5. 5 Italy 1.37m
6. 6 Poland 1.11m
7. 7 Netherlands 1.05m

• The United Kingdom was the largest market in Greek tourist accommodation in 2025, with 4,621,377 arrivals, 16.4% of the non-resident total, and 25,421,371 nights. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Germany was second in accommodation, with 3,585,739 arrivals and 20,984,005 nights. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• US guests made 2,404,313 accommodation arrivals, down 1.6%, but only 6,051,986 nights. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• France followed with 1,823,927 accommodation arrivals and Italy with 1,368,850. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Poland made 1,105,209 arrivals, the Netherlands 1,048,533 and Romania 972,671; Serbia rose 11.4% to 705,037 and Bulgaria 8.4% to 597,984. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Europe supplied 80.6% of non-resident arrivals in Greek accommodation and EU countries 53.0%; the Americas supplied 11.0%. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Arrivals from China rose 9.8% to 241,207, the fastest growth of any large long-haul market. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• On the Border Survey the UK sent 4,893.1 thousand travellers in 2025, up 7.6%, Italy 2,200.5 thousand, France 1,983.4 thousand and the United States 1,550.8 thousand. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Romania sent 1,550.7 thousand travellers, Albania 1,291.8 thousand and the Netherlands 1,050.1 thousand. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Travellers from Russia fell from 582.9 thousand in 2019 to 21.5 thousand in 2025. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)

ELSTAT counts arrivals at registered accommodation by the guest's country of residence, so a guest who moves hotel counts again. The Border Survey counts each trip once, wherever the visitor stays, and includes stays with friends and in private homes. That is why Germany leads one measure and the UK the other.

How much do visitors spend in Greece?

Spending by foreign visitors set a record in 2025. Germans and Britons spend the most in total, while Americans, Canadians and Australians spend the most per trip and stay longest. Cruise passengers spend the least.

1. 1 Canada 1,403.3
2. 2 Australia 1,360.3
3. 3 United States 1,119.8
4. 4 United Kingdom 764.7
5. 5 Germany 635.9
6. 6 Italy 584.3
7. 7 Romania 363.7
8. 8 Albania 332.0
9. 9 Cruise passengers 191.3

• German visitors spent 3,784.7 million euros in Greece in 2025, the most of any market, and British visitors 3,741.6 million. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• US visitors spent 1,736.7 million euros, French visitors 1,330.1 million and Italians 1,285.7 million. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• The Netherlands brought in 679.1 million euros, Austria 636.1 million, Romania 564.0 million, Sweden 532.8 million, Switzerland 525.8 million and Albania 428.9 million. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Cruise passengers spent 1,019.7 million euros. The Bank counts cruise receipts separately, as it does not yet split them by nationality. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Average spending per trip was 545.5 euros in 2025, against 530.6 euros in 2024 and 534.6 euros in 2019, cruise passengers included. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• British visitors spent 764.7 euros per trip, Germans 635.9 euros and Italians 584.3 euros; cruise passengers spent 191.3 euros. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• The average trip lasted 5.6 nights in 2025, down from 5.9 in 2024 and 7.0 in 2019, cruise passengers included. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Canadians stayed 12.4 nights on average, Australians 11.6, Americans 9.3, Germans 8.0 and Britons 7.3; cruise passengers stayed 2.2 nights. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Independent travellers accounted for 16,673.3 million euros of receipts in 2025 and package-tour travellers for 6,953.5 million, down from 7,550.6 million in 2024. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• By number, 27,625.0 thousand travellers came independently and 15,686.9 thousand on package tours, including cruise packages. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Business travel brought in 1,397.6 million euros of 2024 receipts, about 6.5% of the total; personal travel brought in 20,194.7 million. (Eurostat, Apr 2026)

These are Bank of Greece Border Survey figures, which feed the balance of payments. They cover non-residents and exclude international fares. Per-trip and length-of-stay averages include cruise passengers, and markets with small samples such as Canada and Australia carry more uncertainty. Eurostat publishes a different split of receipts by country, which allocates cruise spending to countries; we use the Bank's own table.

What is tourism worth to Greece's economy?

Greece has no official tourism satellite account, so ELSTAT publishes no figure for tourism's share of GDP. The most-quoted estimates come from INSETE, the research institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE). They are far higher than the official national-accounts figure for hotels and restaurants, because they count more activities and add knock-on effects.

View data table

People employed in accommodation and food services in Greece, annual averages from the Labour Force Survey.

Period	Value
2019	381,900
2024	401,000
2025	400,300

• INSETE puts tourism's direct contribution at 30.2 billion euros in 2024, 12.8% of GDP. (INSETE (industry estimate), May 2026)
• Including indirect and induced effects, INSETE estimates tourism at 71.3 to 85.9 billion euros in 2025, 28.7% to 34.6% of GDP. (INSETE (industry estimate), May 2026)
• That total applies multipliers of 2.2 to 2.65 euros of GDP per euro of tourism receipts, taken from studies by IOBE (2012) and KEPE (2014). (INSETE (industry estimate), May 2026)
• In the official national accounts, accommodation and food services produced 16,926.1 million euros of gross value added in 2025, 7.9% of the Greek total, up from 11,629.1 million in 2019. (Eurostat, Nov 2026)
• Travel receipts were equal to about 9.5% of Greece's GDP in 2025, calculated from Eurostat figures. Receipts are spending, not value added, so this is not tourism's share of GDP. (Eurostat, Nov 2026)
• Travel was Greece's largest services export in 2025, 46% of 51,129.2 million euros of services receipts, ahead of transport, mainly shipping, at 18,664.8 million. (ELSTAT (Greece in Figures), Jul 2026)
• The travel surplus, receipts minus Greek residents' travel spending abroad, was 20,287.8 million euros in 2025. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• On first estimates, net travel receipts offset 59.9% of Greece's goods trade deficit in 2025 and made up 89.0% of net services receipts. (Bank of Greece (travel services release), Feb 2026)
• 400,300 people worked in accommodation and food services in 2025, against 381,900 in 2019. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• Employment in the sector reached a record 475,200 in July to September 2025, up 5.3% on a year earlier. (Eurostat, Sep 2026)
• INSETE estimates that tourism generated 751,000 jobs at the 2025 summer peak, 17.0% of all employment. (INSETE (industry estimate), May 2026)
• The EU average share of jobs in accommodation and food services was 4.9% in 2025; Malta (8.3%), Spain (8.2%) and Cyprus (8.2%) came closest to Greece. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)

INSETE is an industry research body, not a statistics office. Its direct figure adds visitor spending, cruise, airline and ferry revenue, domestic tourism and tourism investment, and its total figure applies multipliers from 2012 and 2014 studies, so both are estimates. The national-accounts figure for accommodation and food services includes restaurants serving residents and leaves out transport and tour operators. Job counts come from ELSTAT's Labour Force Survey and are not seasonally adjusted.

Which Greek regions get the most visitors?

The South Aegean, which covers the Cyclades and Dodecanese, takes more accommodation arrivals and nights than any other region, ahead of Crete. Attica, around Athens, gets many arrivals but far fewer nights, because stays in the capital region are short.

1. 1 South Aegean 41.84m
2. 2 Crete 35.20m
3. 3 Ionian Islands 20.36m
4. 4 Central Macedonia 18.71m
5. 5 Attica 12.79m

• The South Aegean recorded 8,558,966 accommodation arrivals in 2025, the most of any region; Crete had 6,514,515 (17.1%) and Attica 5,847,514 (15.3%). (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Central Macedonia, around Thessaloniki, had 4,777,795 arrivals and the Ionian Islands 3,651,182. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Arrivals grew 0.7% in the South Aegean in 2025, 1.5% in Attica, 3.8% in the Ionian Islands and 6.8% in the Peloponnese. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• The South Aegean recorded 41,838,969 nights and Crete 35,199,262, 22.5% of the national total; Ionian Islands nights slipped 0.8% to 20,363,829. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Attica recorded only 12,794,781 nights, fewer than Central Macedonia's 18,714,412. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Hotel bed occupancy was highest in the Ionian Islands, at 59.7% in 2025, followed by Crete (54.9%), the South Aegean (51.8%), Central Macedonia (51.6%) and Attica (51.2%); Western Macedonia was lowest at 21.2%. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• The South Aegean has 240,938 hotel beds and Crete 198,559. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Attica took 34.7% of all short-term rental days of lease in 2025, 2,999,454, followed by Central Macedonia (14.9%), Crete (11.3%), the South Aegean (10.5%) and the Ionian Islands (8.8%). (ELSTAT (short-term rentals), Jul 2026)

Regions are Greece's 13 administrative regions. The South Aegean figures include North Aegean campsites for confidentiality. Accommodation counts cover registered establishments; short-term rental days of lease come from a separate experimental ELSTAT series and are not guest nights.

Which Greek islands and cities are busiest?

Rhodes and the Heraklion area of Crete record about twice as many hotel nights as central Athens. Santorini and Mykonos are the best-known islands but have far fewer hotel beds than Rhodes, Crete or Corfu. These are hotel figures and leave out short-term rentals, campsites and cruise visitors.

1. 1 Rhodes 16.36m
2. 2 Heraklion (Crete) 13.09m
3. 3 Corfu 7.43m
4. 4 Central Athens 7.32m
5. 5 Thira (Santorini) 2.40m
6. 6 Mykonos 1.91m

• Hotels in the Rhodes regional unit recorded 2,702,019 arrivals and 16,359,744 nights in 2025, with bed occupancy of 55.9%. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Rhodes has 105,348 hotel beds in 561 hotels; Heraklion has 81,304, Kos 58,342, Chania 52,738, Corfu 51,413 and Zakynthos 39,625. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Corfu hotels recorded 1,558,455 arrivals and 7,428,928 nights, with 65.4% occupancy, the highest of the big islands. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Hotels in the Heraklion regional unit of Crete recorded 2,427,166 arrivals and 13,091,689 nights, with 57.8% occupancy; the Hersonissos resort area alone had 1,691,685 arrivals and 10,131,366 nights. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Chania regional unit hotels, in western Crete, recorded 1,366,789 arrivals, with 52.3% occupancy. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Hotels in the Thira regional unit, which includes Santorini, recorded 787,435 arrivals and 2,396,299 nights in 2025, with arrivals up 3.5% from 760,773, while bed occupancy fell to 44.7% from 48.5%. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• The Thira regional unit has 21,876 hotel beds in 419 hotels and Mykonos 16,921 in 233. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Mykonos hotels recorded 560,469 arrivals and 1,905,119 nights, with occupancy of 44.3%, down from 46.1%. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Hotels in central Athens recorded 3,428,187 arrivals and 7,318,051 nights in 2025, with 57.9% occupancy, down from 3,525,129 arrivals and 60.4% in 2024. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• The Central Athens regional unit has 306 hotels with 36,221 beds. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)

Figures are for hotels and similar establishments only. A regional unit can include more than one island: Thira also covers Ios, Folegandros, Sikinos and Anafi. Central Athens hotel traffic covers the municipalities of Athens, Vyronas and Nea Filadelfeia-Nea Chalkidona. Occupancy is an annual bed-place rate that includes months when many island hotels are closed.

Where do visitors stay in Greece?

Hotels take most nights in Greece's registered tourist accommodation. Short-term rentals let through online platforms have grown fast since 2020, though growth slowed in 2025, and Attica has more of them than any other region.

View data table

Days of lease in Greek short-term rentals, 2020 to 2025. Growth slowed sharply in 2025.

Period	Value
2020	1.75m
2021	3.21m
2022	5.52m
2023	7.16m
2024	8.26m
2025	8.65m

• Hotels and similar establishments took 79.1% of arrivals and 76.1% of nights in Greek tourist accommodation in 2025; short-stay establishments took 19.6% and 22.4%, and campsites 1.3% and 1.4%. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Greece had 10,118 hotels with 450,565 rooms and 902,328 beds in 2025. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Its 869 five-star hotels hold 234,206 beds, about a quarter of the total. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Hotel bed occupancy averaged 50.7% over 2025, against 50.6% in 2024. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Short-term rentals recorded 8,647,728 days of lease in 2025, from 2,491,700 declarations. (ELSTAT (short-term rentals), Jul 2026)
• Non-residents accounted for 84.8% of short-term rental days of lease in 2025. (ELSTAT (short-term rentals), Jul 2026)
• Attica has the most registered short-term rentals, 56,557, followed by Central Macedonia (29,087), the South Aegean (28,683), Crete (21,231) and the Ionian Islands (18,656). (ELSTAT (short-term rentals), Jul 2026)

ELSTAT's short-term rental figures are experimental statistics from the tax authority's (AADE) Short-Term Stay Property Registry, as of March 2026. A day of lease counts each day a property is let, not each guest, so it cannot be added to accommodation nights, and registered properties are not all active listings. "Short-stay establishments" in the accommodation count are registered rooms-to-let units, not the whole rental market. Hotel capacity figures come from the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels.

What are Greece's most-visited sights?

The Acropolis is Greece's most-visited cultural site by a wide margin, and Knossos on Crete is second among archaeological sites. Visits to state museums and sites dipped in 2025, but ticket income jumped after a new pricing policy took effect.

1. 1 Acropolis of Athens 4.61m
2. 2 Acropolis Museum 1.99m
3. 3 Knossos 977,299
4. 4 National Archaeological Museum 665,414
5. 5 Acropolis of Lindos 595,625
6. 6 Epidavros 525,113
7. 7 Mycenae 501,256

• Acropolis visits rose 1.1% in 2025, from 4,557,693 in 2024. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Apr 2026)
• The Acropolis drew 3,593,586 visitors in 2019, before the pandemic. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Sep 2020)
• Greek museums and archaeological sites recorded 20,005,888 visitors in 2025, down 3.2% from a record 20,661,857 in 2024: 6,678,026 at museums and 13,327,862 at sites. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Apr 2026)
• Paid visits fell 7.8% to 13,708,488 in 2025, while free admissions rose 8.7% to 6,297,400. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Apr 2026)
• The Acropolis Museum, the most-visited museum in Greece, had 1,994,050 visitors, flat on 2024. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Apr 2026)
• Knossos drew 977,299 visitors and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum 387,682. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Apr 2026)
• The Acropolis of Lindos on Rhodes drew 595,625 visitors, down 15.2%; Epidavros had 525,113, Mycenae 501,256 and Sounio 382,650. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Apr 2026)
• Ancient Olympia drew 276,674 visitors and the Delphi site 216,389. Both sell combined online tickets with their museums that cannot be split, so the site counts are not comparable with earlier years. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Apr 2026)
• The National Archaeological Museum in Athens had 665,414 visitors, and the Palace of the Grand Master on Rhodes 311,611. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Apr 2026)

ELSTAT counts paid and free admissions at sites run by the culture ministry, plus the Acropolis Museum and a few others, not every museum in Greece. Acropolis figures include the Theatre of Dionysus ticket. ELSTAT does not publish ticket prices.

How do visitors get to Greece?

Most foreign visitors arrive by air. Athens airport set a passenger record in 2025, and the regional airports run by Fraport Greece grew again, led by Thessaloniki and Rhodes. Ferries and cruise ships carry millions more in summer.

1. 1 Thessaloniki 7.98m
2. 2 Rhodes 7.09m
3. 3 Corfu 4.62m
4. 4 Chania 4.15m
5. 5 Kos 3.18m
6. 6 Santorini 2.42m
7. 7 Zakynthos 2.28m

• Athens airport traffic was 33% above the 2019 level in 2025; international passengers rose 8.6% and domestic passengers 2.2%. (Athens International Airport (ATHEX filing), Mar 2026)
• The 14 regional airports run by Fraport Greece handled 37,116,525 passengers in 2025, up 3.0%: 29,268,720 international and 7,847,805 domestic. (Fraport Greece (traffic), Jan 2026)
• Fraport's airports handled 31,194,278 passengers in 2022 and 33,870,683 in 2023. (Fraport Greece (traffic), Jan 2024)
• Thessaloniki was the busiest Fraport airport with 7,982,798 passengers, followed by Rhodes with 7,093,264, up 2.5%, and Corfu with 4,618,810, up 6.3%. (Fraport Greece (traffic), Jan 2026)
• Chania handled 4,150,829 passengers, Kos 3,176,063 and Zakynthos 2,282,774. (Fraport Greece (traffic), Jan 2026)
• Santorini airport passengers fell 16.0% to 2,418,219 in 2025, and Mykonos fell 2.0% to 1,581,742, the only two Fraport airports to decline. (Fraport Greece (traffic), Jan 2026)
• By the country of the flight's other airport, the UK supplied 7,349,112 passengers at Fraport's airports in 2025, Germany 5,461,250 and Italy 2,391,935. (Fraport Greece (traffic), Jan 2026)
• Greek ports handled 19,051,396 passengers in July to September 2025, up 1.2% on a year earlier. (ELSTAT (port traffic), Mar 2026)
• In October to December 2025 Greek ports handled 6,337,680 passengers. (ELSTAT (port traffic), Jun 2026)
• In July to September 2025, 2,184,264 ferry passengers embarked at Piraeus, 510,516 at Santorini and 400,593 at Mykonos. (ELSTAT (port traffic), Mar 2026)
• Cruise ships made 6,129 calls at Greek ports in 2025, up from 5,490 in 2024. (ELIME (Hellenic Ports Association), Mar 2026)
• Piraeus recorded 1,850,000 cruise passenger arrivals, Mykonos 1,222,748, Santorini 1,203,052, Corfu 894,179, Rhodes 547,549 and Heraklion 536,543. (ELIME (Hellenic Ports Association), Mar 2026)
• Cruise arrivals at Santorini fell 10.6% from 1,345,837 in 2024, and at Mykonos from 1,293,051. (ELIME (Hellenic Ports Association), Mar 2026)
• In 2019 Greek ports recorded 5,537,500 cruise passenger arrivals from 3,899 calls. (ELIME (Hellenic Ports Association), 2019)

Airport passengers count each arrival and departure, not unique visitors. Fraport's figures are provisional operator data for 14 regional airports and leave out Athens and Heraklion; its country split is by route, not nationality. Athens figures come from the airport company's filings on the Athens Exchange. Port passenger figures exclude cruise passengers. Cruise arrivals count each port call, so one passenger visiting three Greek ports counts three times, and the Piraeus figure is rounded in the source.

How much do Greeks travel?

Greeks travelled more in 2025 than before the pandemic, and most of their trips stay in Greece. Their travel spending is small next to what foreign visitors spend in the country.

• In Greece 6.91m
• Abroad 1.26m

• Greek residents made 8,171,305 tourism trips of one night or more in 2025, up from 7,230,241 in 2024 and 32% above 2019 (6,173,045). (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• 84.5% of residents' trips stayed in Greece; of the 1,264,038 trips abroad, 804,502 went to other EU countries. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• Residents spent 3.85 billion euros on trips in 2025: 2.76 billion in Greece and 1.09 billion abroad. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• A domestic trip cost 399 euros on average and a trip abroad 860 euros. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• Spending per night on domestic trips rose to 42.74 euros in 2025 from 30.48 euros in 2019. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• Only 245,108 of residents' trips in 2025 were for business, down from 391,724 in 2019. (Eurostat, Oct 2026)
• 3,966,500 residents took at least one personal trip of four nights or more in 2025, up from 3,659,900 in 2024 and 2,954,300 in 2021. (ELSTAT (Greece in Figures), Jul 2026)
• On the balance of payments, Greek residents spent 3,339 million euros on travel abroad in 2025, up from 2,743.9 million in 2019. (Eurostat, Apr 2026)

Trip figures come from ELSTAT's survey of residents aged 15 and over, published by Eurostat. It is a sample survey, so yearly changes carry sampling error. The four-night figure counts people, not trips. Spending abroad on the balance of payments is a different measure from the survey's trip spending.

How safe is Greece for visitors?

Recorded crime in Greece fell in 2025, on Hellenic Police figures published by ELSTAT. There is no official series for crimes against tourists, so these are national figures for residents and visitors alike.

• Police recorded 229,963 criminal offences in Greece in 2025, 2,217 per 100,000 inhabitants, down from 250,808 (2,417 per 100,000) in 2024. (ELSTAT (crime statistics), Sep 2026)
• In 2019 police recorded 220,403 offences, 2,072 per 100,000 inhabitants. (ELSTAT (crime statistics), Sep 2026)
• Attica, the Athens region, accounted for 110,169 offences in 2025, 47.9% of the national total, down from 117,941 in 2024. (ELSTAT (crime statistics), Sep 2026)
• The Thessaloniki police district recorded 26,122 offences and Crete 10,628. (ELSTAT (crime statistics), Sep 2026)
• The South Aegean recorded 7,993 offences in 2025 and the Ionian Islands 5,275, up from 4,923 in 2024. (ELSTAT (crime statistics), Sep 2026)

Figures are felonies and misdemeanours recorded by the Hellenic Police, completed and attempted; minor offences are excluded. They are counts, not rates per visitor, and regions differ in population and visitor numbers, so they do not rank destinations by safety. A 2011 reclassification breaks the long series.

When is the best time to visit Greece?

August is Greece's busiest month on every measure, and the islands are far quieter in winter, when many hotels close. May, June and September give summer weather with fewer crowds. Athens is busy all year round.

View data table

Hotel bed occupancy in Greece by month in 2025. Occupancy passes 50% from May to September.

Period	Value
Jan	12.7%
Feb	15.8%
Mar	18.0%
Apr	30.6%
May	51.6%
Jun	69.9%
Jul	77.2%
Aug	81.3%
Sep	67.8%
Oct	38.8%
Nov	13.9%
Dec	27.4%

• August 2025 brought 7,242,268 arrivals and 33,962,689 nights in Greek tourist accommodation, 21.7% of the year's nights; January brought 753,433 arrivals and 1,642,944 nights. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• Hotel bed occupancy ranged from 12.7% in January to 81.3% in August in 2025. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Jul 2026)
• June to October took 68.1% of short-term rental days of lease in 2025; August alone took 18.8% and February 3.1%. (ELSTAT (short-term rentals), Jul 2026)
• Fraport's regional airports handled 6,786,953 passengers in August 2025 against 664,020 in January; May to October took 85% of the year's traffic. (Fraport Greece (traffic), Jan 2026)
• Athens airport is busy all year: it handled 1,992,548 passengers in January 2026 and 3,932,440 in July. (Athens International Airport (ATHEX filing), Aug 2026)
• On the Border Survey, July to September 2025 brought 22,691.8 thousand inbound travellers and 12,359.9 million euros of receipts, 52% of the year's total on both counts. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• At Athens Elliniko the average July maximum is 33.2C on the 1991-2020 normal, up from 31.6C on the 1961-1990 normal; in August it rose from 31.4C to 33.4C. (HNMS (climate normals), 1991-2020)
• Athens averages a 13.5C maximum in January, and its monthly mean is 21.3C in May and 20.1C in October. (HNMS (climate normals), 1991-2020)
• Heraklion on Crete has a July mean of 26.9C and an average July maximum of 29.4C; its January mean is 12.2C and its October mean 20.9C. (HNMS (climate normals), 1991-2020)
• Rhodes has an August mean of 27.8C and an average August maximum of 30.4C, with a January mean of 12.8C and average minimum of 10.5C. (HNMS (climate normals), 1991-2020)
• Santorini has a July and August mean of 26.8C with a 29.7C average maximum; Mykonos averages 25.8C in July with a 28.5C maximum. (HNMS (climate normals), 1991-2020)
• Zakynthos stands in for the Ionian islands, as Corfu has no station in the HNMS normals: it has a July mean of 28.2C, an August maximum of 33.0C and a January mean of 10.6C. (HNMS (climate normals), 1991-2020)

Accommodation and occupancy figures are ELSTAT's final 2025 data, for hotels and similar establishments where occupancy is shown. Climate values are HNMS normals; the Athens station is at Elliniko, the former airport on the south coast, not the city centre. Temperatures differ between stations, so single-station values should not be read as national.

What do the latest 2026 figures show?

Greek tourism kept growing in 2026. The Border Survey shows more travellers and higher receipts in the first eight months, and ELSTAT shows more arrivals and nights in tourist accommodation in August than a year earlier.

• The Border Survey counted 28,509.3 thousand inbound travellers in January to August 2026, up 10.0% on 25,920.7 thousand a year earlier. (Bank of Greece (travel services release), Oct 2026)
• Travel receipts rose 9.4% to 18,197.5 million euros in January to August 2026, with average spending per trip almost unchanged; the travel surplus was 15,420.3 million euros. (Bank of Greece (travel services release), Oct 2026)
• Travellers from Germany rose 8.1% to 4,210.4 thousand, from the UK 3.9% to 3,404.0 thousand and from Italy 22.1% to 1,924.8 thousand, while France fell 5.4% to 1,346.5 thousand and the US slipped to 1,062.4 thousand. (Bank of Greece (travel services release), Oct 2026)
• Receipts from Germany rose 7.2% to 2,858.8 million euros, the UK 5.0% to 2,665.2 million, the US 21.0% to 1,466.9 million and Italy 31.7% to 1,258.1 million; France fell 8.1% to 931.9 million. (Bank of Greece (travel services release), Oct 2026)
• Receipts in January to March 2026 reached 1,775.0 million euros, against 1,020.1 million a year earlier. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Including cruise passengers, 15,220.6 thousand travellers came in the first half of 2026, 14.7% more than a year earlier. (Bank of Greece (Border Survey), Sep 2026)
• Greek tourist accommodation recorded 7,429,931 arrivals and 34,685,695 nights in August 2026, up 2.6% and 2.1% on August 2025. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Oct 2026)
• The average stay in August 2026 was 4.7 nights: 5.1 for non-residents and 3.2 for residents. (ELSTAT (accommodation), Oct 2026)
• Summing Eurostat's monthly figures, nights in Greek tourist accommodation came to about 119 million in January to August 2026, roughly 2% more than a year earlier. (Eurostat, Nov 2026)
• Fraport's 14 airports handled 33,412,717 passengers in January to September 2026, up 5.1%; Santorini rose 3.7% to 2,164,932 and Corfu 6.6% to 4,380,283. (Fraport Greece (traffic), Oct 2026)
• Athens airport handled 19,682,628 passengers in January to July 2026, up 4.5%. (Athens International Airport (ATHEX filing), Aug 2026)
• Museum and site visits fell 4.2% to 8,974,361 in January to June 2026; the Acropolis had 2,214,875 visitors, against 2,340,508 a year earlier. (ELSTAT (museums and sites), Oct 2026)
• Employment in accommodation and food services was 439,600 in April to June 2026. (Eurostat, Sep 2026)

All 2026 figures are provisional. The Bank of Greece Border Survey counts non-resident travellers and their spending; ELSTAT counts arrivals and nights in registered accommodation. They measure different things and are shown separately. The Bank's release for September was due on 23 November 2026.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from Greece's official producers: the Bank of Greece for its Border Survey of travellers and receipts, labelled separately for its data files and its press releases; ELSTAT for accommodation, museums, short-term rentals, port traffic and crime, each labelled by dataset; Eurostat for EU comparisons, jobs, value added and residents' trips; the airport operators Fraport Greece and Athens International Airport, whose Athens figures come from its stock exchange filings; the Hellenic Ports Association for cruise calls; and HNMS for climate normals. Greece has no tourism satellite account, so GDP shares are INSETE estimates and labelled as such. The Border Survey and ELSTAT's accommodation count measure different things and are never added, charted together or compared. Each figure links to the document that carries it, with the date. Provisional figures are labelled. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.

• Athens International Airport (ATHEX filing) · Mar 2026
• Athens International Airport (ATHEX filing) · Aug 2026
• Bank of Greece (Border Survey) · Sep 2026
• Bank of Greece (Border Survey) · Sep 2026
• Bank of Greece (Border Survey) · Sep 2026
• Bank of Greece (Border Survey) · Sep 2026
• Bank of Greece (Border Survey) · Sep 2026
• Bank of Greece (Border Survey) · Sep 2026
• Bank of Greece (travel services release) · Feb 2026
• Bank of Greece (travel services release) · Oct 2026
• ELIME (Hellenic Ports Association) · Mar 2026
• ELIME (Hellenic Ports Association) · 2019
• ELSTAT (accommodation) · Jul 2026
• ELSTAT (accommodation) · Oct 2026
• ELSTAT (crime statistics) · Sep 2026
• ELSTAT (Greece in Figures) · Jul 2026
• ELSTAT (museums and sites) · Apr 2026
• ELSTAT (museums and sites) · Sep 2020
• ELSTAT (museums and sites) · Oct 2026
• ELSTAT (port traffic) · Mar 2026
• ELSTAT (port traffic) · Jun 2026
• ELSTAT (short-term rentals) · Jul 2026
• Eurostat · Oct 2026
• Eurostat · Oct 2026
• Eurostat · Apr 2026
• Eurostat · Oct 2026
• Eurostat · Nov 2026
• Eurostat · Nov 2026
• Eurostat · Sep 2026
• Eurostat · Oct 2026
• Eurostat · Oct 2026
• Eurostat · Nov 2026
• Fraport Greece (traffic) · Jan 2026
• Fraport Greece (traffic) · Jan 2024
• Fraport Greece (traffic) · Jan 2026
• Fraport Greece (traffic) · Oct 2026
• HNMS (climate normals) · 1991-2020
• INSETE (industry estimate) · May 2026
• INSETE (industry estimate) · May 2026