Uk, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Netherlands, With Rising Prices At Home, More Greeks Are Opting For Affordable Holidays In Neighboring European Countries

Published on August 25, 2025

UK, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Netherlands—as world tourism continues to roar successful Greece, galore Greek citizens are progressively opting for these much affordable European destinations complete their ain country’s rising vacation costs. While luxury resorts and boutique hotels crossed Greece stay packed pinch overseas tourists, locals are uncovering that home travel, particularly to celebrated islands and cities, has go prohibitively expensive. Instead, Greeks are heading to adjacent European countries, wherever recreation expenses are often much budget-friendly, starring to a important displacement successful recreation preferences and spending habits.

Summer successful Greece is astatine its peak, pinch luxury resorts, boutique land hotels, and municipality rentals successful Athens and Thessaloniki filled by world visitors. Tourists are taking ferries, helicopters, and seaplanes to research idyllic coastlines and islands. Yet, while millions of travellers get to bask Greece’s sun-soaked beaches and world-class hospitality, a increasing number of Greek citizens are softly leaving their homeland behind—at slightest for their holidays. Rising home prices and stagnant wages are making it much affordable for locals to recreation overseas than to bask vacations wrong their ain country.

Rising Costs astatine Home

Although tourism remains 1 of Greece’s strongest industries, nan reality for galore section residents is becoming progressively challenging. Salaries stay comparatively debased compared pinch European averages, and taxation remains high. For those without family homes successful upland villages, coastal towns, aliases connected nan islands, home getaways often consciousness retired of reach.

This has created an different paradox: while Greece markets itself arsenic a dream vacation destination for high-income travellers worldwide, galore of its ain citizens are being priced out. Families and young couples now find it little costly to book trips overseas than to enactment successful Greek destinations for illustration Corfu, Mykonos, aliases Santorini.

A Case Study: Choosing Tenerife Over Corfu

The displacement is illustrated by nan illustration of a Greek mates whose mixed income is supra nan nationalist average. They initially planned a travel to Corfu, 1 of Greece’s astir celebrated land escapes. However, aft reviewing nan costs, they realised nan value of accommodation, food, and proscription was acold beyond their budget. Instead, they chose nan Spanish land of Tenerife successful nan Canary Islands.

The determination saved them astir €1,000 (\$1,170). Their acquisition reflects a wider inclination among middle-class Greeks: vacations wrong Greece are becoming excessively expensive, while overseas destinations often supply much worth for money.

Spending Trends: Data from nan Bank of Greece

Figures from nan Bank of Greece corroborate this increasing movement. In 2024, Greek residents spent €2.8 cardinal (\$3.28 billion) connected trips abroad, compared to €2.2 cardinal (\$2.57 billion) connected home vacations. The inclination has accelerated successful 2025: successful conscionable nan first six months of nan year, spending connected overseas holidays reached €1.677 cardinal (\$1.96 billion), astir 25 percent higher than nan €1.344 cardinal (\$1.57 billion) spent wrong Greece.

This intends that much Greek holidaymakers are contributing to nan economies of different European countries than to their ain tourism sector, a business that raises questions astir affordability and semipermanent argumentation priorities.

Government Efforts and Economic Pressures

The New Democracy authorities has made respective moves to easiness financial pressures connected households. The minimum costs has been raised doubly successful caller years, pension benefits person been boosted, and officials person promised to align salaries much intimately pinch nan European Union average. However, these measures person not kept gait pinch nan rising costs of living, peculiarly successful nan tourism sector.

Accommodation prices, edifice costs, and moreover ferry tickets person climbed successful consequence to increasing request from world visitors. For Greek families already stretched bladed by ostentation and taxes, these increases make a summertime vacation astatine location an unaffordable luxury.

The INSETE Report: Growth successful Outbound Travel

Research by nan Institute of nan Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE) highlights nan standard of nan change. In its study Outgoing Travel Flows successful Greece, 2023–2024, nan institute noted that outbound vacation departures roseate by 8 percent successful 2024, reaching 6.7 million. Spending connected these trips besides accrued significantly, rising by 15 percent to €2.8 cardinal (\$3.28 billion).

This information demonstrates not conscionable a impermanent shift, but a sustained inclination successful Greek recreation behaviour. More residents are choosing to research destinations overseas alternatively than walk their constricted budgets wrong Greece.

Preferred Destinations Abroad

Interestingly, nan astir celebrated choices are not nan adjacent countries of Bulgaria and Turkey—traditionally seen arsenic inexpensive options—but Western European nations specified arsenic France, Italy, nan Netherlands, and nan United Kingdom. Many of these destinations are perceived arsenic amended worth for money than home alternatives, peculiarly erstwhile flights and package deals are considered.

For Greek travellers, a vacation successful Spain aliases Italy tin often beryllium arranged astatine a little wide costs than a week successful nan Aegean islands. This reality underscores nan pressures of home pricing and demonstrates really world title is influencing Greek holidaymaking.

A Tourism Paradox

Greece finds itself successful a paradoxical position. On nan 1 hand, its world estimation arsenic a premier recreation destination has ne'er been stronger. International arrivals are surging, luxury tourism is booming, and nan authorities is actively trading to high-income visitors. On nan different hand, mundane Greeks are being squeezed retired of their ain vacation market.

The consequence is simply a widening disagreement betwixt inbound and outbound recreation flows. While nan system benefits from world arrivals, nan outflow of Greek spending to different European countries raises concerns astir semipermanent sustainability and societal equity.

A New Travel Reality for Greeks

The summertime of 2025 highlights a stark contrast: Greece is filled pinch overseas holidaymakers consenting to salary premium prices, while galore locals are heading overseas successful hunt of affordability. Whether choosing Spain’s Canary Islands, Italy’s coastal towns, aliases metropolis breaks successful nan Netherlands and nan UK, Greek residents are reshaping nan country’s tourism landscape.

UK, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Netherlands are becoming preferred vacation destinations for galore Greeks, arsenic rising home recreation costs push locals to activity much affordable options crossed Europe. With precocious prices connected nan islands and mainland, Europeans now connection amended worth for Greek travelers.

Unless home recreation becomes much affordable, this outward inclination is apt to continue. Greece whitethorn stay 1 of Europe’s apical tourer destinations for foreigners, but for galore Greeks, homegrown holidays are becoming an unattainable dream.