The year 2024 marked a milestone for Greek tourism, with 35.9 million foreign visitors boosting tourism revenues to 21.7 billion euros.
According to the latest data from the Bank of Greece, the country’s travel balance showed a surplus of 18.9 billion euros, up from 18.2 billion euros in 2023. Travel receipts rose by 1.1 billion euros (5.4 percent) to reach 21.7 billion euros, while travel payments also increased by 352.2 million euros (14.5 percent) to 2.8 billion euros.
Source: Bank of Greece
Decline in average spending per trip
The rise in travel receipts was driven by a 9.8 percent increase in tourist arrivals, despite a 5.1 percent decrease in average spending per trip. Net tourism revenues offset 53 percent of the country’s trade deficit and accounted for 83.2 percent of total net service receipts.
Key markets driving tourism revenue
The 5.4 percent increase in travel receipts was primarily fueled by higher spending from EU visitors, which rose by 7 percent to 11.9 billion euros. Revenue from non-EU countries also grew slightly, reaching 8.6 billion euros (a 0.8 percent increase).
Specifically, visitors from eurozone countries contributed 9.5 billion euros (up 4.2 percent), while those from non-euro EU countries increased their spending by 18.8 percent, reaching 2.49 billion euros.
Source: Bank of Greece
Germany and the UK remained key tourism revenue sources.
German travelers spent 3.7 billion euros (a 3.5 percent increase), while UK spending fell by 3.7 percent to 3.2 billion euros.
Revenue from French visitors dropped significantly by 11.4 percent to 1.3 billion euros, while Italian visitors increased their spending by 13.6 percent, contributing 1.2 billion euros.
Among non-European markets, United States visitor spending surged by 15.1 percent to 1.6 billion euros, whereas revenue from Russian travelers plunged by 50.8 percent to just 15.9 million euros.
Tourism arrivals up by 9.8 percent
Photo source: Visit Greece
Greece welcomed 35.95 million travelers in 2024, a 9.8 percent increase from 32.73 million in 2023. Air arrivals grew by 10.7 percent, while land border crossings increased by 8.9 percent.
Arrivals from EU countries rose by 11 percent to 21.8 million, with eurozone visitors up by 12.1 percent and non-euro EU travelers increasing by 8.9 percent. Arrivals from non-EU markets grew by 8.1 percent, totaling 14.2 million.
Double-digit growth from Germany, Italy, and the U.S.
Source: Bank of Greece
Visitor numbers from Germany saw a notable 13.4 percent increase, reaching 5.4 million. Italian arrivals grew by 10 percent to 2 million, while US arrivals increased by 10 percent to 1.5 million.
French visitor numbers also grew, rising by 8.8 percent to 2 million. In contrast, UK arrivals declined slightly by 1 percent to 4.5 million, while Russian arrivals plummeted by 54.9 percent, totaling just 16,100 travelers.
Strong December performance
Tourism maintained its momentum through winter, with December 2024 recording a remarkable 33.3 percent increase in travel receipts, reaching 435.1 million euros. Inbound travel traffic also grew by 15.3 percent year-on-year, totaling 882,400 visitors in December.
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