Greece earned €20.1 billion from tourism: there is growth, but income is noticeably less

Tourism in Greece in 2025, it reaffirms its status as the main economic engine of the country. In January–September, tourist receipts reached €20.1 billionwhat’s on 9% more than a year earlier.

At the same time, the flow also increased: the number of arrivals increased to 31.6 million (plus about 4%), which records stable external demand for Greek destinations.

But behind the record there is an important detail: income growth is not equal to growth in the quality of demand. September was a warning light for the industry. With an increase in arrivals by approximately the same 3.6% income in September decreased by 3.6%amounting to about 3.4 billion euros. That is, the flow has not subsided, the cash register for one tourist sank.

According to Bank of Greecethe average travel expenses in September turned out to be 7.8% lower than a year ago. And this no longer seems like a “whim of the month”, but like a new norm: tourists more often choose shorter trips, are more careful about spending and are more actively hunting for discounts, especially in the accommodation and food segment.

European perestroika: Germany is losing, Italy and France are gaining

The September recession was especially painful for travelers from eurozone. Receipts from citizens EU-27 have fallen, and spending by people in the eurozone is estimated to have fallen particularly sharply. The most noticeable failure occurred in the key market for Greece Germany: Income from German tourists decreased by 28.3%up to €477.5 million.

Against this background France And Italy looked like an exception. French tourists increased their spending by approximately 20% (to €168.7 million), and Italian ones immediately 42.5% (to €212.5 million). This is similar to a redistribution of demand within Europe: some markets are “cooling down”, others are compensating for the loss.

Outside EU: Britain is pulling up, the US is slowing down

Segment of tourists from countries outside EU-27 overall remains beneficial for Greece: in a broader context, it showed growth and gave about 1.5 billion euros revenues. The main driver was United Kingdom: British spending has increased by 27.4%up to €612.7 million.

But the market USA showed the opposite trend: spending by American tourists decreased by 19.5%up to €224.9 million. At the same time, the number of arrivals from the United States over nine months still increased (by approximately 1.2 millionplus 5.6%). In other words, there are more Americans, but each of them is spending more carefully, which may reflect both inflationary pressure and changing consumer patterns.

Results for January–September remains positive: tourists from EU-27 brought about 10.98 billion euros (height 5.6%), and guests from non-EU countries ensured order 8.17 billion euros (height 12.7%). However, the “September lesson” hints that the next season will be judged not only by the number of arrivals, but also by how much does a tourist leave in the economy?.

At the same time, the travel infrastructure is changing. WITH October 12, 2025 The EU has begun to gradually introduce an entry/exit system EESand launch ETIAS expected in last quarter of 2026 for visa-free countries. Formally, this is about security, but in fact it adds “friction” at the border and can affect spontaneous trips, especially on long-distance routes and on peak dates.

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