German tourists conquer Greece: Record numbers 2022!

German tourists conquer Greece: Record numbers 2022!

Griechenland - Greece continues to attract millions of tourists and recorded a record number of around 36 million visitors in 2022. As theSouthern Germanreports, 5.7 million German tourists traveled to the sun -drenched country alone, which corresponds to an increase of almost 13 percent compared to the previous year. The Germans are the largest group of visitors in Greece, followed by 4.7 million British and almost 3 million Bulgarian tourists.

This great demand is also reflected in the number of overnight stays that were around 230 million. The tourism sector achieved sales of over 20 billion euros. The average length of stay of the tourists is six nights, and they spend an average of 523 euros per stay. For special regions such as Crete, the costs can be an average of 770 euros per visit, while in fewer tourist areas such as Epirus only around 192 euros are spent.

Popularity and attractions

The northern Aegean, especially the islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos, recorded an increase in the number of visitors by an impressive 40 percent. This underlines how the incentive to the diverse Greek landscape, the rich history and the numerous monuments from antiquity contributes to the fact that Greece becomes one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe.

Internationally, Greece has also drawn attention to himself. According to an analysis by Euromonitor, three Greek cities are proven by the top 100 most popular travel destinations worldwide; Athens reached 32nd place in 2024. This is shown by the persistent interest in Greek cities, which offer many historical excavation sites and museums, such as Athens and Thessaloniki.

The economic importance of tourism

The tourism sector is estimated to contribute almost 30 percent to the Greek gross domestic product. This includes direct and indirect effects. The development of tourism in Greece from 1995 to 2022 shows a continuous increase in the number of tourists. While the income before Corona pandemic in 2019 was 20.55 billion euros (11.1% of GDP), they broke up to 5.42 billion euros in 2020 due to the pandemic, which is 74 percent.

The average editions per tourist amounted to 619 euros in 2022. For comparison: residents of Greece spend around 663 euros a year if they go on vacation abroad. These expenses are an essential part of the Greek economy, since many locals operate restaurants in addition to their agricultural activities.

Trend towards individual trips

A remarkable development is the increasing booming of individual tourism. More and more tourists are traveling by car or motorhome and are looking for remote areas, which also benefits the regional economy. This form of travel not only promotes more flexible vacation planning, but also brings additional income to less frequented regions of Greece.

Overall, Greece remains an attractive travel destination, which attracts vacationers from all over the world through its hot summer climate, its natural beautiful beaches and historical sites. The arrival of new visitors from China and the USA indicates that the country's tourism boom will continue to stop in the future. The holiday season in Greece begins earlier and ends later than in most other European countries, which gives the country additional advantages in the tourism industry.