Photo source: Visit Greece
Greece’s tourism sector recorded another year of growth in 2024, welcoming 40.7 million international travelers – a 12.8 percent increase over 2023 – and generating 21.6 billion euros in total travel receipts, according to final data released by the Bank of Greece.
[Editor’s note: Both figures include cruise passenger arrivals and receipts.]
The total surplus in the balance of travel services reached 18.8 billion euros, reflecting a rise in inbound receipts of 4.8 percent and outpacing a 15.4 percent increase in outbound travel payments. While the number of travelers and receipts rose, the average stay shortened and spending patterns shifted: average expenditure per trip declined by 7 percent, but spending per overnight stay rose by 2.9 percent to 89.7 euros.
Source: Bank of Greece
Cruise sector sees sharp gains
Cruise tourism played a significant role in the sector’s overall performance. Cruise receipts rose by 22.4 percent year-on-year to reach 1.1 billion euros, while cruise passenger visits grew by 12.4 percent to 7.8 million. In total, Greece received an estimated 5 million individual cruise passengers in 2024.
Source: Bank of Greece
Excluding cruise activity, inbound tourism accounted for approximately 35.95 million travelers and 20.6 billion euros in receipts.
Piraeus led Greek cruise ports in receipts (48.5 percent), followed by Corfu and Heraklion. Mykonos and Santorini also ranked among the busiest cruise ports in terms of arrivals.
European markets drive revenue, US and Italy rise
Source: Bank of Greece
Source: Bank of Greece
Receipts from EU residents rose by 7.1 percent to 12 billion euros, accounting for more than half of total travel receipts. Within this, euro area visitors contributed 9.47 billion euros (+4.5 percent) and non-euro EU countries 2.49 billion euros (+18.4 percent).
Among individual markets, Germany remained the top contributor with 3.7 billion euros (+3.7 percent), while receipts from Italy surged by 13.6 percent to 1.23 billion euros. United States visitors also increased their spending by 15.3 percent to 1.58 billion euros. In contrast, French receipts fell by 11.6 percent, and revenue from the United Kingdom dropped by 4.1 percent.
Business travel rebounds, Leisure remains dominant
Source: Bank of Greece
Trips for personal reasons still made up the bulk of spending (93.5 percent), with leisure travel alone accounting for 87.1 percent of all receipts. However, business travel saw the largest percentage increase, rising by 27.3 percent and gaining a slightly larger share (6.5 percent) of total receipts compared to 2023.
Southern Aegean leads in tourism revenue
Source: Bank of Greece
Regionally, the Southern Aegean generated the highest tourism revenue at 5.69 billion euros, followed by Attica (4.75 billion euros), Crete (4.57 billion euros), and the Ionian Islands (1.98 billion euros). These five regions collectively accounted for nearly 90 percent of all travel receipts.
The most visited region was Attica with 8.8 million regional visits, while the Southern Aegean recorded the highest number of overnight stays at 51.3 million.
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