Greece Tourism Soars, Driven by Strong Visitor Numbers From UK, Italy and Germany
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Greece saw a notable rise in visitor numbers from the UK, Italy, and Germany during June, marking the onset of summer, according to the Bank of Greece’s latest figures. However, the same period recorded a downturn in visitors from France and the USA.
The total number of inbound tourists in June 2024 saw an 8.8% increase. The first half of the year also showed a promising growth of 15.5% in tourist arrivals.
Specifically, June brought 705,800 UK visitors to Greece, up by 7.8% from the previous year. German tourists totaled 701,800, reflecting a 2.5% increase, while Italian visitor figures rose by 10.3% to 235,400. On the other hand, French tourist arrivals dipped by 13.5% to 206,700, and US tourist numbers fell by 11.2% to 185,900, marking the second month of decline.
| Country of Origin | Jan-Jun 2022 | Jan-Jun 2023 | Change (%) 2023 | Jan-Jun 2024 | Change (%) 2024 | June 2022 | June 2023 | Change (%) June 2023 | June 2024 | Change (%) June 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU27 | 4792.6 | 5836.5 | 21.8 | 6846.8 | 17.3 | 2265.0 | 2636.4 | 16.4 | 2828.5 | 7.3 |
| Euro area | 3567.9 | 4113.8 | 15.3 | 4854.1 | 18.0 | 1601.5 | 1781.5 | 11.2 | 1818.3 | 2.1 |
| France | 530.4 | 639.9 | 20.6 | 676.1 | 5.6 | 225.4 | 238.9 | 6.0 | 206.7 | -13.5 |
| Germany | 1422.5 | 1555.3 | 9.3 | 1766.2 | 13.6 | 684.1 | 684.3 | 0.0 | 701.8 | 2.5 |
| Italy | 295.2 | 423.2 | 43.4 | 588.6 | 39.1 | 162.9 | 213.4 | 31.0 | 235.4 | 10.3 |
| Non-euro area EU27 | 1224.7 | 1722.7 | 40.7 | 1992.7 | 15.7 | 663.5 | 854.9 | 28.8 | 1010.3 | 18.2 |
| Other countries | 3190.8 | 4225.3 | 32.4 | 4778.8 | 13.1 | 1384.5 | 1665.8 | 20.3 | 1853.2 | 11.3 |
| United Kingdom | 1218.1 | 1294.3 | 6.3 | 1371.6 | 6.0 | 592.4 | 654.4 | 10.5 | 705.8 | 7.8 |
| United States | 530.8 | 528.3 | -0.5 | 578.4 | 9.5 | 209.3 | 150.7 | -28.0 | 185.9 | 23.4 |
| Russia | 16.0 | 13.3 | -16.8 | 5.5 | -58.6 | 4.4 | 26.6 | 504.5 | 2.9 | -48.5 |
| TOTAL | 7983.3 | 10061.8 | 26.0 | 11625.6 | 15.5 | 3649.4 | 4302.2 | 17.9 | 4618.8 | 8.8 |
In a detailed look at country-specific earnings, the United States witnessed a significant reduction in travel receipts, dropping 32.8% to €143.1 million. Germany also saw a slight decline in receipts by 1.4%, totaling €522.9 million. On the other hand, revenue from the United Kingdom surged by 42.5%, reaching €608.9 million. Additionally, earnings from France and Italy showed positive movements, with increases of 1% and 12.9%, resulting in €163.9 million and €144.9 million, respectively.
Data also highlighted the average spending per trip for the year: travelers from the United States spent €847.20, German visitors spent €666.00, Italian tourists spent €545.60, British visitors spent €517.20, and French travelers spent €413.40.
