Hellenic Parliament, Syntagma, Athens.
Greece’s tourism sector saw solid growth in the first four months of 2025, with international air arrivals increasing by 6.5 percent year-over-year and a sharper rise of 8.4 percent in April alone, according to data from INSETE, the research institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).
Between January and April 2025, 3.2 million international travelers arrived in Greece by air, up by 197,000 compared to the same period in 2024. April was a particularly strong month, with 1.6 million arrivals recorded – a year-on-year increase of 8.4 percent.
Airport breakdown
Athens International Airport (AIA) received the largest share, welcoming 1.9 million international arrivals, an increase of 101,000 or 5.7 percent over the previous year. Thessaloniki followed with 628,000 arrivals, marking a 10 percent rise. On Crete, Heraklion Airport saw 268,000 arrivals (up 15.8 percent), while Chania recorded 79,000, a slight decrease of 2 percent.
Among key island destinations, Rhodes welcomed 185,000 visitors (up 5.1 percent), and Kos saw 32,000 (up 15.1 percent). Corfu recorded 82,000 arrivals, showing a marginal decline of 1.5 percent, while Zakynthos increased to 17,000 (up 4.7 percent). Kefalonia saw a strong rise to 5,000 arrivals – an increase of 31.4 percent – while Aktion recorded 6,000, a decrease of 7.9 percent.
Popular destinations see mixed results
Santorini, Greece.
Mykonos and Santorini, traditionally among Greece’s most sought-after luxury destinations, reported lower volumes. Mykonos Airport received 10,000 international visitors, down 9 percent, while Santorini’s Thira Airport saw a sharper decline, with 23,000 arrivals – a drop of 30.4 percent.
This decline comes amid a series of seismic events recorded in the sea area between Santorini and Amorgos during the early season, which may have influenced travel to the region. Notably, Mykonos also saw a decrease in arrivals, despite not being affected by seismic activity.
Regional arrivals by geographic unit
Across the broader regional breakdowns, Crete led with 347,000 international arrivals -an increase of 11.2 percent compared to the same period in 2024. The Dodecanese followed with 217,000 (up 6.1 percent), and the Ionian Islands recorded 110,000 arrivals, up slightly by 0.6 percent. The Peloponnese reported 10,000 international arrivals, marking a 7.9 percent increase. The Cyclades, however, saw a significant year-on-year decline, with 34,000 arrivals – down 11,000 or 24.9 percent.
Travel revenue rises in first quarter
Tourism revenue also recorded a notable increase in the first quarter of 2025, reaching 1.073 billion euros – up 4.4 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Receipts from EU-27 countries totaled 520 million euros, showing a slight increase of 0.3 percent, while receipts from non-EU countries reached 526 million euros, marking an 8.5 percent rise.
Receipts from eurozone countries declined marginally by 0.6 percent, while those from non-eurozone countries increased by 5.1 percent. Among key markets, revenue from Germany fell by 16.3 percent and from France by 34.4 percent. In contrast, receipts from Italy rose sharply by 33.5 percent. The United Kingdom contributed 72 million euros, up 17.8 percent, while receipts from the United States reached 144 million euros, an increase of 4.5 percent.
Short-term rentals maintain growth momentum
According to INSETE’s report, short-term rental accommodations continued their upward trend in early 2025. April recorded 228,000 available units, up by 16,000 from the same month in 2024.
More notably, the number of available beds surpassed the one million mark in April – a milestone first reached only in July last year. This increase reflects continued growth in demand and capacity since 2023.
Foreign visitors accounted for the vast majority of demand, making up 86 percent of all short-term rental guests in April, compared to just 14 percent domestic travelers.
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