Travel and tourism in Greece - statistics & facts

Greece has long been a popular destination for tourists from all over the world, in part due to its ancient cultural history and many archaeological sites, such as those in the capital city of Athens. The country also contains the longest coastline in the Mediterranean region, and its many beach resorts on islands such as Santorini and Mykonos are an important driver of tourism. By far, most of the tourist expenditure in Greece – which has a significant impact on the country’s economy – comes from leisure visitors as opposed to those traveling for business. In 2022, the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Greece was around 38 billion euros. This figure, however, was roughly seven percent lower than in 2019, the year prior to the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Tourism also boosts employment in the country, with approximately 800 thousand jobs in the Greek travel and tourism industry in 2022.

What are the leading inbound tourism markets in Greece?

When the COVID-19 pandemic turned international tourism upside down in 2020, the number of inbound tourists in Greece dropped to under eight million. In 2022, however, international visitors in the country bounced back to nearly 30 million, showing strong signs of recovery but remaining 12 percent short of pre-pandemic levels. Overall, most international travelers came from other European countries, with the United Kingdom and Germany representing the leading inbound travel markets in Greece both before and after the impact of the pandemic. When looking at the most popular destinations for international tourists in Greece, the Southern Aegean region, which includes the islands of Rhodes and Mykonos, attracted the highest number of travelers in 2022. Attica – a region that encompasses the capital city of Athens – Central Macedonia, and Crete followed in the ranking that year.

Outbound and domestic tourism in Greece

As international tourism in the country rebounded in 2022, also the number of outbound travelers from Greece experienced a sharp annual increase, reaching more than five million. That said, the outbound tourism market recovered at a slower pace than the inbound one, with 35 percent fewer Greek tourists traveling abroad compared to 2019. With the rise in outbound tourists, the outbound travel expenditure in Greece grew by over 800 million euros in 2022 over the previous year but denoted a 30 percent drop from the peak in spending recorded in 2019. On the other hand, the domestic travel expenditure in Greece was four percent higher in 2022 than in 2019, peaking at nearly 11 billion euros.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Aug 17, 2023

Key insights

Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Greece
37.8bn EUR
Share of leisure spending out of total travel and tourism spending in Greece
94%
Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in Greece
0.8m jobs
Get more insights

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Share of travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in European Union member countries (EU-27) and the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019 and 2022

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Travel and tourism: share of GDP in the EU-27 and the UK 2019-2022, by country

Leading inbound travel markets in Greece from 2019 to 2022, by number of arrivals (in 1,000s)

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Leading international travel markets in Greece 2019-2022, by arrivals

Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Greece in 2019 and 2022 (in billion euros)

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Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Greece 2019-2022

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