Greece Extended Its Hospitality to 22.6 Million Tourists from January to August 2023

Between January and August of the year 2023, Greece observed a substantial surge in inbound travelers, tallying an impressive 22,649,100 visitors.

This marked an 18.4 percent expansion when compared to the numbers from 2022, which stood at 19,126,400 arrivals.

As reported by SchengenVisaInfo.com, the Bank of Greece released data indicating a 15.3 percent growth in travel receipts, reaching an astounding €14.6 billion.

The tourism industry of Greece, for the January to August period, experienced a considerable boost from various nationalities. The influx of German tourists to Greece grew by 6.1 percent, reaching 3,070,100. Meanwhile, French visitors showcased a 7.3 percent increase, amounting to 1,410,300. Travelers from the United Kingdom saw a marginal 0.3 percent uptick, reaching 3,016,000, while American tourists surged impressively by 44.9 percent, totaling 937,700. However, the number of Russian visitors decreased by 5.0 percent during the same timeframe.

Further data also indicates that the flow of travelers through Greece's airports witnessed a 12.4 percent rise, while arrivals via road border-crossing points skyrocketed by 38.4 percent.

During this period, arrivals from European countries also experienced a significant upswing, increasing by 15.9 percent year-on-year, reaching 13,827,600. Arrivals from outside the EU surged by 22.6 percent, amounting to 8,821,500.

In the peak month of August, the tourism industry in Greece witnessed a 10.4 percent growth, totaling 6,478,800 visitors. This figure marked a 5.2 percent increase when compared to the corresponding month of the preceding year.

In August 2023, the United States emerged as a prominent source market, with a remarkable 50.3 percent surge in traveler flows, amounting to 200,300 visitors. In contrast, Greece's other primary source markets experienced declines in traveler arrivals during this August, with Germany down by 7.1 percent, France by 3.7 percent, and the UK by 5.8 percent.

Based on data supplied by the Bank of Greece, arrivals through Greek airports in August 2023 also registered a 5.1 percent increase year-on-year, while arrivals via road border-crossing points surged by 25.7 percent.

Furthermore, in the first seven months of the year through July, the influx of travelers to Greece rose by a significant 21.9 percent, reaching 16,170,400 visitors from 13,260,600 in the same period of the previous year. This growth resulted in a total revenue of €10.321.100 million.

Previous data disclosed that, in the initial quarter of this year, Greece played host to a total of 2.5 million foreign tourists. The number of air arrivals nearly doubled when compared to pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019. During the first three months of this year, the nation recorded 1.4 million international arrivals, surpassing the figures from the same period the previous year. This increase represented a substantial 87.5 percent growth, equivalent to an additional 646,000 arrivals.

Source: schengenvisainfo.com