Leading inbound travel markets in Crete, Greece 2019-2023, by number of visits

Germany ranked as Crete’s biggest travel market in 2023, with the Greek island recording around 1.2 million visits from German tourists. While this figure increased compared to the previous year, it remained slightly below the number of visits from 2019. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and France followed in the ranking in 2023, with 832 thousand and 670 thousand visits, respectively. 

Crete is also popular among domestic travelers

In 2023, Crete, the largest Greek island, was the fourth most popular destination for international travelers in Greece. The mountainous island is also frequently visited by domestic tourists, with domestic air arrivals on Crete peaking at over one million in 2023.

Travel and tourism in the Greek islands

Greece's islands are an important driver of tourism. In 2023, destinations such as Rhodes and Kos attracted over 2.6 million and one million international guests, respectively, as the number of international air arrivals to the South Aegean islands recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking at the inbound air arrivals on the Ionian Islands shows that other popular Greek destinations, like Corfu and Zante, also experienced the same trend, with inbound arrivals reaching the highest figures reported to date.