Greece’s Tourism Sector Experiences Unprecedented Growth With Forty Million Seven Hundred Thousand Tourists But Sharp Drop In Revenue Per Visitor To Five Hundred Thirty Euros As Revealed By Eurobank Analysis

Thursday, July 17, 2025

If you inquire immoderate Taxi driver anyplace successful Greece, they’ll show you that Greece now has nan dubious honour of being THE European Tourism destination of nan twelvemonth pinch Forty Million Seven Hundred Thousand visitors and drops dormant connected nan road, achieving a world grounds of nan Most magnitude of visitors but pinch nan lowest gross per visitant astatine a staggering Five Hundred Thirty Euros. As per a caller study by Eurobank, while nan Tourism Greece After Legal Award state still lures an expanding number of tourists, nan spending per visitant has dwindled considerably. The supra alteration besides reflects connected nan expanding difficulties of Greece successful keeping nan economical stock of nan tourism industry, contempt nan expanding number of arrivals not being communicated arsenic rising income, which is really referring astatine a decice of Greece to a regenerated tourism and nan request to create a tourism merchandise of a higher value and much sustainable.

The pursuing study by Eurobank’s Economic Analysis and Research Unit portrays immoderate important modifications of Greece’s tourism model. The study, authored by nan economist Tassos Anastasatos, highlights that tourism successful Greece is processing successful a guidance successful which “more visitors sojourn for less days and pinch smaller financial returns.” This is explained by nan changes recorded successful world tourism request successful favour of much predominant but shorter trips and nan broadening of nan building of nan tourism merchandise of Greece (from a qualitative and geographical constituent of view).” (Source: The study, titled The Tourism Pillar: Key Features, Economic Impact, Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Proposals_PP_Final 2792018)

One point nan investigation brings location is nan detonation of short metropolis breaks. This inclination toward short-term stays, sometimes for arsenic small arsenic a fewer days, is connected nan rise. Simultaneously, roads arrivals from Balkan countries adjacent doorway person escalated, notably successful Central Macedonia and Epirus. Those regions are known to person shorter mean magnitude of enactment and are apt to proceed to do truthful arsenic nan bulk of vacationers opt for destinations nearer and easier to access.

Falling Spend Per Head Despite An Increase In Visitor Numbers

The study draws attraction to nan paradox of much visitors coming while nan magnitude they walk per caput falls. Although tourer arrivals are increasing astatine an mean yearly complaint of 7.1%, from 2011 to 2024 nan slow mean tourer spending diminution seems to continue. In 2011 nan mean walk per tourer was 640 euros, yet this dropped to 530 euros successful 2024.

Despite nan surge successful arrivals, tourism spending roseate astatine 5.8% twelvemonth connected twelvemonth to 21.6 cardinal euros successful 2024. The magnitude constitutes 9.1% of Greece’s GDP. But, nan maturation of gross flows related to tourism do not construe into immoderate betterment connected value aliases economical worth of nan tourism product. Instead, it is caused predominantly by nan emergence of visitors.

The overnight enactment spending has been rising slowly, from 68.6 euros per overnight enactment successful 2010 up to 89.7 euros successful 2024. However, this summation is wiped retired almost wholly by inflation, truthful inflation-adjusted spending levels connected overnight stays person hardly budged. This again emphasizes that contempt nan expanding measurement of visitors, nan corresponding worth has not accrued accordingly.

The Requirement of More Money Per Visitor

The investigation underlines that nan Greek tourism manufacture is confronted pinch a awesome challenge; to airs a mobility astir semipermanent sustainability and nan continuation of nan maturation of nan sector. The coming path, pinch further visitors coming but each 1 spending less, is simply a statement that can’t proceed for overmuch longer. More request should not beryllium astatine nan disbursal of nan situation aliases services.

To guarantee nan sector’s viability, we advocator a modulation towards a much qualitative and sustainable tourism improvement successful nan region. The short-term interest? Increasing gross per visitor, not conscionable expanding nan number of visitors released into Venice. These improvements will upgrade nan modular of nan tourism merchandise (services, accommodation and accommodation) and result lengthen nan enactment and summation expenditure per visitor.

Eurobank’s Ten Policy Proposals

To lend to nan transformation, Eurobank has group retired 10 argumentation proposals that target and reside definite of nan challenges that nan study has drawn attraction to. Through these proposals, TTIM is preparing nan crushed for nan constitution of an environmentally and qualitatively sustainable tourism manufacture that will carnivore nan country’s economical improvement complete nan agelong tally and sphere its nationalist heritage. The cardinal proposals include:

Implement Acts On Unauthorised Construction: Laws connected unauthorised and unplanned building should beryllium much strictly observed if nan earthy situation is to beryllium preserved. A curb connected improvement will support tourism from sullying nan country’s earthy beauty and taste heritage.

Control nan Siting of Tourism Units: Ensure prudent siting of caller tourer installations and spot them truthful arsenic to harmonise pinch earthy and taste environments. It will besides protect Greece’s typical situation and guarantee sustainable tourism growth.

Develop Investment successful High- Quality Hotels: The maturation of 5 and 4 prima hotels has been singular successful nan past fewer years; nan erstwhile grew by 37% and nan second by 14% successful nan past 5 years. Meanwhile, lower-category hotels person declined. Further finance successful value accommodation is important to attracting much able holidaymakers – and richer pickings while they are staying.

Build Infrastructure for Quality Tourism: High-quality tourism cannot hap without nan beingness of supporting infrastructure, including modern proscription networks, committed proviso of power and water, well-functioning discarded disposal, beardown net connections and taste venues. Developing these zones will heighten nan visitant acquisition and alteration Greece to compete pinch different world tourism hotspots.

Diversification of Tourism Product The tourism merchandise of Greece should proceed to diversify, attracting nan liking of various types of tourists. That could beryllium niche markets specified arsenic eco-tourism, taste tourism, aliases wellness tourism, which are often associated pinch spending much anyway.

Improve visitant experiences: High-levels of work successful nan tourism industry, including accommodation, transport, etc will lead to satisfied visitors and summation nan chances of return visits and extended stays.

Promote Responsible Tourism: Greece has to promote sustainability to guarantee that tourism activities person nan minimal imaginable antagonistic effect connected nan environment. This could beryllium accomplished by nan promotion of greenish accommodations, discarded management, and nan retention of indigenous businesses which are committed to sustainable practices.

Better Marketing and Branding: Greece must upgrade its crippled successful world trading and branding itself arsenic a precocious value and sustainable tourism destination. Highlighting its colorful humanities monuments, picturesque landscapes and state-of-the-art facilities, Greece tin pull an influx of different types of precocious income visitors.

Utilize Technology: Digital devices and exertion tin heighten nan tourist’s experience, providing them pinch some much accusation and personalized services, arsenic good arsenic simplifying nan booking process. You tin thrust greater effectiveness and heighten nan visitant acquisition by incorporating innovative exertion solutions.

Shore Up Partnerships Between nan Public and Private Sectors: There is request to guarantee that authorities agencies activity manus successful manus pinch backstage assemblage players towards enhancing nan maturation and sustainable improvement of nan tourism industry.

Greece Tourism 40.7: Eurobank nevertheless recovered that contempt forty cardinal 7 100 1000 visitors, gross per visitant fell dramatically to 5 100 30 Euros. This emphasises nan necessity for much sustainable and little valueless tourism.

If this is done successfully, Greece tin execute to stay 1 of nan astir important tourer destinations successful nan anyplace successful nan world and tourism tin proceed to use nan economy, nine and nan environment.