Greek tourism breaks records: over 40 million visitors in 2024!

Greek tourism breaks records: over 40 million visitors in 2024!

Greece reached a new record in tourism in 2024. With over 40.7 million visitors, the country generated revenue of around 21.6 billion euros, according to the Greek central bank. This is a significant increase compared to last year, underlining the success of the Greek tourism sector. Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni even expects revenue of 22 billion euros for 2024, as the industry remains at a stable high.

A key driver of this growth was cruise tourism. A total of 1.112 billion euros in revenue was generated from this sector, an increase of 22.4 percent compared to 2023. An estimated five million cruise passengers visited Greek ports last year, and the number of cruise passengers increased by 43.8 percent to 5.01 million.

Growth despite challenges

The Greek tourism economy has made remarkable progress in recent years. Already in 2023, the tourist numbers of the pre-crisis year 2019 were significantly exceeded. In the first ten months of 2023, 20.93 billion euros flowed into the country through tourism, which meant that more income was generated than in the entire previous year. This positive development reflects a general interest in Greece, even in years when heatwaves and extreme weather events affected visitor numbers.

The summer of 2024 was the warmest and driest in decades, with an increase in hot days and around 9,500 forest fires across Greece. Despite these challenges, many visitors have begun to avoid the hot summer months and are increasingly traveling in spring and fall. This resulted in Athens and popular destinations such as Rhodes and Lesbos seeing arrivals increase by up to 46 percent in September and October.

Cruise ports and tourist centers

The port of Piraeus in particular has played a prominent role in cruise tourism. It generated 48.5 percent of all cruise revenue and had the highest proportion of cruise ship arrivals. Corfu and Heraklion follow in third place with 11.8 percent and 8 percent of revenue, respectively. Overall, the seven major cruise ports generated 90.5 percent of total cruise revenue and recorded 82 percent of all cruise passenger visits.

The Greek islands remain particularly popular with foreign holidaymakers, with Germans and Brits making up the largest groups. Crete, Rhodes and Kos are the most visited destinations, while the Cyclades islands such as Mykonos are seeing a decline in visitor numbers.

The Greek government is actively pursuing strategies to extend the travel season and curb overtourism. Bookings for the coming years are already 15 percent higher than the previous year. This growth and adaptations of the sector are crucial for the country's economic stability, as tourism contributes around 20 percent of the gross domestic product and supports one in five jobs.

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