Greek tourism continues to show mixed results during the summer of 2025, with revenues and international arrivals trending upward, while hotels—especially in Athens—face pressure on average occupancy and revenue per available room.
Data released by the Athens–Attica and Saronic Islands Hotel Association (EXA) and INSETE highlight the contrast between the general increase in travel receipts and arrivals, and the stagnation or partial decline in hotel performance, exacerbated by strong competition from short-term rental accommodations. While Athens remains ahead of Istanbul, it lags behind major European tourist capitals such as Rome, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Regarding hotel performance in Athens, EXA data show a negative trend in July 2025, while the seven-month period of the year remained roughly at the same level as the corresponding period in 2024. July confirmed industry concerns, as average occupancy fell to 83.3 pct, down from 86.4 pct in July 2024 (a 3.6 pct drop), following a June decline of 2 pct. Compared with July 2023, the decline in occupancy reaches -5.7 pct. Average Daily Rate (ADR) in July was 207.85, euros slightly up from 205.54 euros in July 2024 while Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) decreased to 173.19 pct from 177.64 pct.
For the seven-month period, performance remains roughly on par with last year, mainly due to better results in the first quarter. Average occupancy for Athens hotels in the first seven months of 2025 was 75.8 pct, ADR reached 176.18 euros, and RevPAR reached 133.49 euros. Three-star hotels in particular remain under pressure, with occupancy rates declining since March.
Travel receipts for the period January–June 2025 rose by 11 percent compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 7.659 billion euros, according to data from the Institute of the Hellenic Chamber of Tourism Enterprises (INSETE). This growth was driven by an 8.5 pct increase in receipts from residents of European Union countries, which reached 4.070 billion euros, and a 13.7 pct rise in receipts from other countries, totaling 3.210 billion euros.
Breaking it down further, receipts from eurozone countries reached 3.291 billion euros (+7.7 pct), while receipts from EU countries outside the eurozone rose by 12.4 pct to 779 million euros. Specifically, receipts from Germany increased 13.5 pct to 1.366 billion euros, from France by 2.1 pct to 456 million euros, and from Italy by 9 pct to 345 million euros. Among non-EU countries, receipts from the United Kingdom grew 7.3 pct to 1.082 billion euros, while receipts from the United States surged 29.4 pct to 704 million euros.
At the same time, the number of short-term rental accommodations continued to rise in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, maintaining a trend that began in 2023 and strengthened in 2024. In May 2025, 236,000 such accommodations were recorded, marking a new record, which was subsequently broken in June 2025 (242,000) and July 2025 (246,000)—the highest level recorded since January 2019. A similar trend is observed in available short-term rental beds. In May and June 2025, consecutive records were set with 1.038 million and 1.061 million beds, respectively. The upward trajectory continued into the peak summer period, with July reaching a new record of 1.078 million available beds, an increase of 57,000 compared to July 2024 (1.021 million).