Greece continues to solidify its place as one of Europe’s favorite travel destinations, gaining momentum among key tourist markets in 2025. New data released by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE) reveals that the country has moved up in traveler preferences, particularly among Germans and the French, while maintaining strong interest in the UK, Italy, and Spain. According to the study, Greece now ranks third in popularity for both German and French tourists—up two places from the previous year—and fifth among British travelers. It also holds the third position among Italians and sixth among Spaniards.
The findings are based on the first part of a broader market analysis by INSETE, which focuses on Greece’s five most important European tourism markets: Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. The analysis draws on survey results from GlobalWebIndex (GWI), which polled 5,507 people aged 16 to 64 in January and February of 2025. These five countries alone contributed nearly 47 percent of Greece’s total inbound tourism revenue in 2024, underscoring their significance to the Greek travel sector.
Greece’s improved ranking is partly due to a decline in popularity for competing destinations. German travelers showed decreased interest in Austria and France, while Spanish tourists were less inclined to choose Germany, creating room for Greece to climb. The country’s popularity increased by 1.8 percentage points in France, remained steady in Germany, and dipped slightly in the UK and Spain—by 1.5 and 0.5 points, respectively.
When it comes to overall travel plans, enthusiasm for international holidays remains strong across the board. More than 70 percent of respondents in Germany, the UK, Spain, and Italy intend to take at least one international trip in the next 12 months. In France, that figure is slightly lower—around 60 percent—but French travelers stand out for their ambition: over a quarter of them (25.4%) plan to take five or more trips this year, far surpassing the 3.9% to 6.3% range reported in the other markets.
In terms of projected spending, the outlook is promising for Greece. Across all five countries surveyed, about half of prospective travelers expect to spend roughly the same as last year. However, those who anticipate increasing their travel budget outnumber those planning to cut back. The majority of German respondents expect to spend between €86–115 or €116–145 per person per night for accommodation, including taxes. French travelers are most likely to spend between €56–85 or €86–115, while British tourists tend to fall in the £76–100 (€88–116) or £101–125 (€117–145) range. Spanish tourists plan to spend between €66–85 or €86–105, and Italians between €46–65 or €66–85.
Notably, compared to last year, fewer German travelers intend to spend either at the very low or very high ends of the scale, suggesting a trend toward more moderate, stable expenditure. French travelers show modest increases in mid-range and higher-end spending brackets, while the British market indicates a clear shift away from lower budgets, with growth in all higher spending categories. In Spain, the €46–65 and €216–260 ranges are seeing less interest, while other categories have held steady or increased.
