Greece’s popular ancient cultural history and archaeological sites, as well as its countless beaches and islands, make it one of the
. Like many Mediterranean nations, Greece’s economy relies heavily on holidaymakers:
was above 19 percent in 2023, the third-highest among European Union countries after Portugal and Croatia. Overall, when considering the direct, indirect, and induced
, these markets generated over 800,000 jobs in 2023, and this figure was expected to exceed the one million mark by 2034.
What are the leading inbound tourism markets in Greece?
In 2023, the
number of inbound tourists in Greece surpassed 36 million, recovering from the impact of COVID-19 and reaching the highest figure to date. Both before and after the pandemic, most international travelers came from Europe, with Germany and the United Kingdom representing by far the
leading inbound travel markets in Greece based on arrivals. Once breaking down the
international visits to Greece by region, Attica, which includes the capital city of Athens, and the Southern Aegean, which comprises the islands of Rhodes and Mykonos, ranked as the most popular destinations in 2023. Combined, these two regions received almost 15 million visits by international travelers.
What are the most popular destinations for Greek tourists?
While the number of international tourists has risen above pre-pandemic levels, Greece’s outbound tourism market has recovered at a slower pace. In 2023, the
number of Greek tourists traveling abroad was still around 20 percent lower than in 2019. Additionally, visits to Bulgaria and Turkey, the
leading outbound travel destinations from Greece, also remained way below pre-pandemic figures. That said, other destinations such as Italy and Cyprus experienced the opposite trend, welcoming more travelers from Greece in 2023 than ever before. This surge in Greek tourists also had an impact on
outbound travel spending from Greece to such destinations. While Italy ranked second behind Germany, in 2019 it recorded the highest expenditure by Greek travelers in 2023. Meanwhile, spending by Greek visitors in Cyprus rose by 58 percent over the same period.
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