In Greece, January to June travel receipts are up by 12.2 percent year-on-year which translates to 6,921.3 million euros, the Bank of Greece (BoG) said in a report on Wednesday.
Inbound traveler flow is also up by 15.5 percent (11,625.6 thousand euros), against the same six months in 2023 (10,061.8 thousand euros).
Based on provisional data, the balance of travel services in June 2024 showed a surplus of 2,861.7 million euros, up from a surplus of 2,680.7 million in June 2023. More specifically, travel receipts in June 2024 rose by 7.7 percent to 3,115.0 million euros from 2,891.3 million euros in June 2023. Travel payments also increased by 20.2 percent (June 2024: 253.3 million euros, June 2023: 210.6 million euros).
The rise in travel receipts is due to an 8.8 percent increase in inbound traveler flows, as average expenditure per trip declined by 1.4 percent. Net travel receipts accounted for 89.7 percent of total net services receipts and more than offset 115.6 percent of the goods deficit.
The highest receipts in the first six months came from German tourists, up by 7.4 percent, amounting to 1,223.3 million euros, as did receipts from French travelers by 2.5 percent to 445.7 million euros. Receipts from the United States increased by 1.0 percent amounting to 540.1 million euros.
Arrivals in accommodations up 3.6 percent in June
According to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), visitor arrivals in accommodation in Greece increased by 3.6 percent in June, according to the ELSTAT survey, amounting to 5,317,221.
ELSTAT data also show that overnight stays in tourist accommodation amounted to 23,128,841, marking an increase of 2.5 percent compared to the corresponding month in 2023.
Specifically, during the month of June—and compared to the corresponding month in 2023—there was a 4.1 percent increase in arrivals and a 2.7 percent increase in overnight stays by foreigner travelers. Accordingly, for domestic travelers, an increase of 1.5 percent in arrivals and 1.4 percent in overnight stays was recorded.
Foreigners contributed the most to arrivals to accommodations and overnight stays in total, with 81.9 percent and 89.4 percent, respectively. The average total overnight stay for the month of June 2024 was 4.3 days.
Air travel up
Regarding air travel, the latest figures from Fraport, the German company that operates Greece’s 14 regional airports, show that passenger traffic was up 3.8 percent compared to the corresponding month in 2023. The total number of passengers was 6,400,000 passengers, with 905,000 of them flying in domestic destinations and 5,510,000 arriving from international flights.
Five airports recorded a decrease: Mykonos (-4.2 percent), Kavala (-13.2 percent), Aktio (-3.1 percent), and Thessaloniki (-0.7 percent), while Santorini showed a marginal decrease of -0.1 percent in international flight movements and a total increase of 0.9 percent due to domestic flights.
On the other hand, Mytilini registered a significant double-digit increase, with an increase in total passenger traffic by 17.5 percent, as well as a 47.6 percent increase in foreign travelers. Rhodes also recorded an overall 13 percent increase and a 14 percent increase in foreign passengers. The following increases were recorded, as well:
- Chania +6.4 percent
- Zakynthos +4.8 percent
- Corfu +4.1 percent
- Samos +1.8 percent
- Kefalonia +1.5 percent
- Skiathos +1.4 percent
- Kos +0.8 percent
