Greece’s tourism receipts increased 14.8% year-on-year to €8.796 billion in the first half of 2026, supported by a sharp rise in inbound arrivals, according to Bank of Greece data. Inbound travel increased 15.4% to 13.49 million visitors, from 11.69 million a year earlier.
Receipts from Italy increased 31.1% to €470 million, the strongest growth among Greece’s major source markets. UK receipts rose 8.5% to €1.179 billion, while revenue from US visitors increased 10.8% to €796.9 million.
Germany remained the largest individual market by receipts, but revenue fell 6.3% to €1.276 billion. French receipts declined 7.4% to €414.3 million. Per total, average spending per trip, however, slipped 0.6%
German arrivals rise despite lower revenue
Travel flows show a different picture from receipts. Arrivals from Germany increased 10.4% to 2.042 million visitors, despite the 6.3% decline in revenue from the market. UK arrivals also rose 10.4% to 1.680 million.
Italian visitors increased 17.9% to 727,800, as at the other end, French arrivals were broadly flat, down 0.4% to 607,500, while United States of America arrivals declined 5.4% to 656,700.
June shows a sharp slowdown in revenue growth
June was significantly weaker than the first-half trend. Tourism receipts increased only 1.2% to €3.477 billion, while inbound arrivals rose 6.9% to 4.922 million. Average spending per trip fell 6.2%.
Receipts from Germany declined 14.5% to €515.1 million, while France fell 33.9% to €129.8 million. UK receipts dropped 26.1% to €442.9 million, while US receipts declined 3.7% to €257.8 million. Italy moved in the opposite direction, with receipts up 34.4% to €248.3 million.
Road arrivals jump 49%
During the first six months, arrivals through Greek airports increased 7.3%. Travel through road border crossings increased much faster, rising 49.3% year-on-year. EU-27 arrivals increased 19.3% to 7.648 million, while visitors from non-EU countries rose 10.7% to 5.844 million.
