Non-euro countries within the European Union are becoming an increasingly dependable source of tourism revenue growth for Greece, according to the latest data covering the January–October period. Travelers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Sweden, Poland and Romania significantly increased their average spending, posting a year-on-year rise of 23%.
Although visitors from these markets still spend noticeably less than tourists from Greece’s core source countries, their importance is steadily increasing. They now form a stable and expanding base that supports overall tourism receipts. Average spending per traveler from these six countries reached €424 over the first ten months of the year, up from €345 in the same period last year. Despite this sharp rise, their contribution to total tourism revenues grew only slightly, accounting for 12.80% compared with 12.23% in 2024, largely due to their lower absolute spending levels.
Traditional markets continue to underpin the sector. The United Kingdom once again stood out as one of the most valuable sources of tourism income. Average spending by British travelers rose by nearly 8% to €758, from €702 a year earlier. This translated into a stronger revenue footprint, pushing the UK’s share of total tourism receipts up to 16.73%, from 15.75% in 2024.
Spending by visitors from France also increased, though more moderately. French travelers spent an average of €686 during the January–October period, compared with €638 last year, marking a rise of 7.5%. However, France’s share of total tourism revenues edged down to 6.05% from 6.23%, reflecting a decline in arrivals, particularly from Paris.
The transatlantic market continued to show strong momentum. Travelers from the United States remained among the highest spenders, with average expenditure rising to €1,105 from €1,040 last year, an annual increase of 6.3%. This reinforces the strategic importance of the US market for Greece’s tourism industry.
By contrast, the Italian market showed little change. Visitors from Italy spent roughly the same amounts as in the previous year, with no significant shift in spending behavior or overall profile.
Germany stood out as the weakest performer. Despite remaining one of Greece’s most established tourism markets, Germany was the only major source country where travelers reduced their spending. According to figures from the Bank of Greece, German tourists cut their average expenditure by 7%, spending €639 per person compared with €688 in the same period last year.
From a broader perspective, October delivered particularly strong results for Greek tourism. Travel receipts reached €2.08 billion, an increase of 8.2% on an annual basis, while arrivals rose to 3.4 million, up 7.2% compared with 2024. Average spending per trip stood at €569, slightly higher than the €567 recorded a year earlier.
Over the first ten months of the year, total tourism revenues exceeded €22 billion, reaching €22.38 billion and registering an annual increase of 8.9%. Arrivals totaled 35.26 million, up 4.4% from 33.78 million in the corresponding period of 2024, highlighting the continued resilience and broad-based growth of Greece’s tourism sector.
