Tourism entrepreneurs appear cautiously optimistic
With an “early start” for another year, the curtain on this year’s tourist season seems to be opening, confirming a trend that has been consolidated in recent years. Since the end of March, major tourist destinations in the country have recorded increased arrivals, air connections are increasing and the majority of seasonal hotels are starting to operate earlier than the traditional schedule.
This development comes as a natural continuation of last year’s landmark year, during which Greek tourism recorded a historic record of arrivals and revenues, with over 23 billion euros in the basket.
Industry professionals agree that the main goal for 2026 is not simply to repeat last year’s performance, but to upgrade the quality of the tourist product and extend the season. The earlier start works in this direction, strengthening destinations that until recently depended almost exclusively on the summer months.
Already, regions such as Crete, the Dodecanese and Attica are recording strong demand for city breaks and organized trips outside the high season. At the same time, airlines are investing in more direct connections, mainly from markets in Central and Northern Europe, but also from the United States.
Market expectations after the record
Last year raised the bar high, creating reasonably high expectations but also pressure to maintain competitiveness. Tourism entrepreneurs appear cautiously optimistic, pointing out, however, that the international environment remains fluid: geopolitical developments, inflationary pressures and increased operating costs affect both supply and demand.
It is recalled that, according to data from the Bank of Greece, in the eleven-month period, travel receipts amounted to 23 billion euros, increased compared to 21.1 billion euros in the corresponding period of 2023 and 20.2 billion euros in 2022. It is characteristic that in the whole of 2024, tourism receipts had reached 21.7 billion euros, which reflects this year’s market dynamics.
The main markets of origin of visitors showed an upward trend. Receipts from Germany increased by 2.4%, reaching 3.7 billion euros, while France recorded an increase of 6.2%, with receipts reaching 1.3 billion euros. Italy also recorded a positive sign, with an increase of 4.2% and receipts of 1.26 billion euros.
The contribution from the United Kingdom was particularly strong, with revenues increasing by 17% to €3.66 billion. The United States, on the other hand, recorded an 8.5% increase, with travel receipts reaching €1.66 billion.
Of particular concern, however, is the issue of human resources, as staff shortages continue to plague the industry, especially in popular island destinations.
Shorter vacations, higher spending
Foreign tourists in Greece are now taking shorter vacations, but with increased daily spending, according to a new study by INSETE, which captures changes in visitor behavior over the past decade. The study, titled “Average Per Capita Spending of Incoming Tourists in Greece, 2015-2024”, highlights the length of stay as the determining factor that ultimately affects the total spending per traveler.
The data, based on the Bank of Greece Border Survey and concerning incoming tourists other than cruises, show that in the period 2015-2024 the Average Spending per Night (ASP) increased by 20.6%, reaching 89.1 euros in 2024 from 73.9 euros in 2015. At the same time, however, the Average Spending per Capita (ASP) recorded a marginal decrease of 1.2%, limited to 572.8 euros from 579.6 euros, a development attributed exclusively to the decrease in the Average Length of Stay.
In particular, the average stay of foreign visitors decreased by 1.4 nights over the decade, from 7.8 nights in 2015 to 6.4 nights in 2024. As the study points out, the increase in daily holiday costs either leads travelers to limit the duration of their holidays in order to contain the overall cost, or reflects the shift in demand towards short-term trips, such as city breaks, which are constantly gaining ground over traditional summer holidays. During the pandemic phase (2020-2021), despite the drastic decrease in arrivals, all indicators moved upwards. The Average Length of Stay increased to 8.9 nights in 2021, the daily spend increased to 78.6 euros and the Average Spend per Capita jumped to 702.4 euros, recording an increase of 24.5%. This development is attributed to the successful opening of the Greek tourism market and the strong sense of security cultivated internationally thanks to the effective management of the health crisis.
From 2022 onwards, with the normalization of travel, pre-pandemic trends gradually returned. The Average Length of Stay decreased again, reaching 6.4 nights in 2024. Despite the increase in daily spending to 89.1 euros, the Average Spending Per Capita decreased by 18.5% compared to 2021.
According to INSETE, the main reasons for this decrease are the change in the mix of origin markets, with a reduction in the share of traditional high-spending markets and a strengthening of neighboring Balkan and Eastern European countries, the increased importance of city break trips compared to multi-day summer vacations, as well as inflationary pressures, which push households to make more moderate choices regarding the duration of their vacations.
Source: cretalive.gr