Greece Achieves Growth In Travel Receipts As Tourist Spending Surges While Visitor Numbers Decline In May

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Greece saw a crisp maturation successful recreation receipts successful May 2025, contempt nan truth that nan number of inbound travelers was dwindling. The state registered a 17.7 per cent emergence successful receipts to €2,247.8 million, supported by beardown tourer spending. This description was accompanied by a marginal diminution successful nan number of tourists, arsenic nan mean spending per travel went up by 21.1 per cent. With less visitors, however, Greece received a spending boost which covered a ample portion of its equipment waste and acquisition deficit, underlining nan ongoing value of tourism for nan country.

In May 2025, Greece’s recreation services saw awesome growth, pinch a €1,875.8 cardinal surplus, up from €1,623.9 cardinal successful May 2024, according to information from nan Bank of Greece. Tourists continued to walk generously, pushing recreation receipts up by 17.7% to €2,247.8 million. Despite nan maturation successful spending, nan number of visitors declined slightly. Payments besides saw an increase, climbing 30.2% to €372.0 million. However, nan mean expenditure per tourer surged by 21.1%, compensating for nan alteration successful arrivals, which fell by 2.7%. The summation successful spending contributed to covering 79.4% of Greece’s equipment waste and acquisition shortage and represented 84.9% of nan full nett work receipts successful May. These figures underscore nan economical value of tourism for Greece, moreover arsenic nan number of visitors dropped.

Looking astatine nan January to May period, nan surplus grew moreover more, reaching €3,006.9 million, surpassing nan €2,761.1 cardinal surplus for nan aforesaid play successful 2024. Receipts for nan first 5 months of 2025 climbed by €491.9 cardinal to €4,352.2 million, marking a 12.7% increase. Payments roseate by €246.1 million, reflecting a 22.4% increase. Despite only a humble 2.1% summation successful inbound visitors, mean spending per tourer surged by 10.4%. The recreation surplus helped screen 21.9% of Greece’s equipment shortage and accounted for a important 72.9% of nan country’s nett work receipts for nan January to May period.

EU Tourists Contribute Significantly to Greece’s Travel Surge

Tourists from nan European Union (EU) were mostly responsible for nan summation successful recreation receipts successful May 2025. Receipts from EU visitors roseate by 25.8%, totaling €1,325.0 million. Meanwhile, non-EU visitors besides contributed, pinch receipts expanding by 6.7% to €800 million. Specifically, nan euro area saw a 15.1% emergence successful receipts, totaling €1,035.7 million, while non-euro EU countries knowledgeable a crisp 88.6% rise, reaching €289.2 million.

Germany was nan starring contributor among EU countries, pinch German visitors spending 16.1% more, contributing €473.5 cardinal to Greece’s tourism receipts. France, Italy, and nan UK besides showed increases successful spending. French visitors spent 9.9% much (€153.3 million), while Italians accrued their spending by 14% (€62.6 million). The UK saw an 8.9% increase, pinch British visitors spending €314.1 million. In contrast, American visitors reduced their spending by 28%, totaling €112.5 million, and Russian visitors were negligible, contributing only €5.2 million.

From January to May 2025, receipts from EU visitors accrued by 10.9%, reaching €2,326.7 million, while non-EU visitors spent €1,813.0 million, marking an summation of 15.1%. The German marketplace remained dominant, contributing €771.7 million, though French tourism decreased by 7.8%, and Italian tourism fell by 4.8%. British and American visitors accrued their contributions by 13.3% and 15.9%, respectively. Russian tourism remained minimal, pinch only €7.9 cardinal spent.

Declining Visitor Numbers Impact Tourism Growth

Despite nan maturation successful recreation receipts, inbound visitant numbers declined successful May 2025. The full number of inbound visitors decreased by 2.7%, pinch conscionable nether 3 cardinal arrivals. Airports knowledgeable a 1% emergence successful visitant numbers, whereas road-border arrivals dropped importantly by 21.5%. EU arrivals fell by 4.8%, while non-EU arrivals grew somewhat by 0.8%. Within nan EU, euro-area arrivals dropped by 4.5%, and non-euro EU arrivals fell by 6.2%.

Germany knowledgeable a flimsy alteration of 0.1% successful tourer arrivals, while France saw a important diminution of 30.8%, and Italy reported a driblet of 12.9%. France knowledgeable a important driblet of 30.8%, and Italy saw a alteration of 12.9%. British arrivals fell by 9.1%, while US tourism showed a flimsy diminution of 0.9%. Russian arrivals were minimal, pinch only 4,700 Russian visitors visiting Greece.

From January to May, nan full number of inbound visitors grew by 2.1%, reaching 7,089.2 thousand. Airports saw a 6% emergence successful arrivals, while road-border crossings saw a 9.2% decrease. EU arrivals dropped by 5.1%, totaling 3,812.5 thousand, while non-EU arrivals accrued by 12%, bringing nan full to 3,276.7 thousand. Tourism from nan euro area fell by 0.5%, and nan number of non-EU visitors to nan euro area decreased by 19.3%.

Breaking down nan capacity by country, German tourism showed a flimsy summation of 1.5%, reaching 1,080.2 1000 visitors. However, French tourism plummeted by 27.1%, and Italian arrivals dropped by 11.7%. Arrivals from nan UK roseate by 6.7%, while tourism from nan US saw a boost of 18.1%. Russian tourism, though still insignificant, roseate to 7,500 visitors.

Conclusion

In May 2025, recreation receipts roseate 17.7 per cent twelvemonth -on- twelvemonth to €2,247.8 cardinal successful Greece, contempt a 2.7 per cent autumn successful nan number of inbound tourists. Spending per tourer mitigated nan diminution successful numbers, emphasizing nan weight of tourism connected nan economy.

In May 2025, Greek tourism defied nan odds, pinch nan manufacture proving amazingly robust contempt a diminution successful tourer numbers. Rising spending, particularly by visitors who came from nan E.U., continued to support a coagulated recreation surplus for Greece. The number of visitors from France, Italy and nan UK dropped, but they excessively spent connected mean much than ever before, compensating for nan diminution successful arrivals. Greece’s tourer assemblage continues to beryllium a important portion of nan country’s economy, underlining nan value of world recreation to nan financial well-being of nan nation.