Greece's tourism industry is off to a robust start in 2024, with data for the first four months of the year showing a significant increase in visitor arrivals and revenue compared to the same period in 2023 and 2019.
The Bank of Greece, in its monetary policy report for 2023-2024, attributed the positive trend to Greece's strong image as a tourist destination and the gradual extension of the tourism season.
In the first four months of 2024, arrivals of non-residents and travel receipts (in nominal terms) increased by 20 and 22 percent, respectively, compared to the same period in 2023, surpassing even the levels of the first four months of 2019.
International passenger arrivals at all Greek airports exceeded those of 2023 and 2019 by 15 percent and 26 percent, respectively.
Fraport Greece, which operates regional airports in the country, reported a 9.6 percent increase in international passenger arrivals in the first five months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Athens International Airport saw a 21 percent increase in international passenger arrivals over the same period.
A key driver of the positive developments has been the attraction of visitors from major European markets and the United States, which have traditionally been target markets for Greek businesses.
Arrivals from Germany increased by 28.3 percent in the first four months of 2024 compared to the same period last year, while inbound travel from the U.S. surged by more than 62 percent.. Revenue from visitors from these two countries exceeded 440 million euros, the Bank of Greece said.