Bank of Greece report: More than 30 million tourists visit the country during 2023

Α Decrease font Enlarge font
Bank of Greece report: More than 30 million tourists visit the country during 2023Receipts up 16.5% compared to 2022

Based on final data by the Bank of Greece, the balance of travel services in 2023 posted a surplus of €18,162.0 million, up by 15.3% from a surplus of €15,751.5 million in 2022. This development was due to a larger increase in travel receipts (up by €2,917.5 million or 16.5%) than in travel payments (up by €507.0 million or 26.3%) - Chart 1. The year-on-year rise in travel receipts was driven by a 20.8% increase in the number of non-resident inbound travellers, as well as by a rise in average expenditure per overnight stay by €6.9 or 8.6% (2023: €87.2, 2022: €80.3) - Table 1.

In greater detail, the average expenditure per trip declined by 3.5% (2023: €570.7, 2022: €591.7) and the average length of stay fell by 11.2% to 6.5 nights (2022: 7.4 nights). Total overnight stays - Table 5 - increased by 7.3% to 236,271.2 thousand in 2023 from 220,213.1 thousand in 2022.

Travel receipts

Travel receipts in 2023 totalled €20,593.6 million, up by 16.5% compared with 2022. This development was driven by an 11.6% increase in receipts from residents of the EU27, which stood at €11,169.7 million or 54.2% of total travel receipts, and by an 18.3% rise in receipts from other country residents to €8,576.6 million - Table 2 and Chart 2.

In more detail, receipts from euro-area residents increased by 12.5% year-on-year to €9,065.7 million in 2023, while receipts from residents of non-euro area EU27 countries increased by 8.0% to €2,104.0 million.

Among major countries of origin, receipts from Germany rose by 9.7% to €3,571.3 million and receipts from France rose by 11.6% to €1,425.4 million. Turning to other countries, receipts from the United Kingdom grew by 5.3% to €3,294.4 million. Receipts from the United States increased by 14.4% to €1,373.6 million, whereas receipts from Russia dropped by 21.7% to €32.4 million.  

Travel receipts by trip purpose

Looking at the breakdown of non-residents’ expenditure in Greece by trip purpose, trips for personal reasons represented the bulk of total travel receipts in 2023, with a share of 94.7%, up from 94.6% in 2022, while the corresponding receipts increased by 16.6%. Within this category, leisure accounted for the largest share in total travel receipts (2023: 87.9%, 2022: 85.3%), with the corresponding receipts rising by 20.1% year-on-year to €18,100.8 million. Receipts from trips for the purpose of visiting family declined by 15.9% and their share in total travel receipts fell to 4.4% from 6.1% in 2022. Receipts from trips for health purposes also dropped by 40.0% to €37.0 million. Finally, receipts from business trips rose by 15.6%, with their share in total receipts standing at 5.3% (2022: 5.4%) - Table 3 and Chart 3.

Inbound traveller flows

As already mentioned, the number of inbound travellers in 2023 rose by 20.8% to 36,082.7 thousand, from 29,875.8 thousand in 2022. Specifically, traveller flows through airports grew by 12.7%, while traveller flows through road border-crossing points increased by 34.9%. Travellers from within the EU27 accounted for 54.4% of the total number of travellers, while travellers from other countries accounted for 36.3%[1]. In 2023, travellers from within the EU27 increased by 15.6% compared with 2022. This development is attributed to increases in the number of travellers from euro-area countries by 11.3% to 12,913.2 thousand and in the number of travellers from non-euro area EU27 countries by 24.7% to 6,727.7 thousand. More specifically, travellers from Germany increased by 9.5% to 4,764.2 thousand and travellers from Italy increased by 30.4% to 1,842.3 thousand. Travellers from France also increased, by 4.2% to 1,831.0 thousand.

Finally, the number of travellers from other countries grew by 20.8% to 13,094.2 thousand. Specifically, the number of travellers from the United Kingdom rose by 2.4% to 4,591.7 thousand. Travellers from the United States increased by 29.2% to 1,406.5 thousand, whereas travellers from Russia declined by 1.0% to 35.7 thousand.

Overnight stays

In 2023, non-residents’ overnight stays in Greece totalled 236,271.2 thousand, up by 7.3% from 220,213.1 thousand in 2022. This was driven by a 1.5% increase in nights spent by residents of the EU27, as well as by a 10.8% rise in nights spent by residents of other countries. The rise in overnight stays by residents of the EU27 reflects a 2.6% increase in nights spent by euro-area residents, as nights spent by residents of non-euro area EU27 countries fell by 2.1%. The number of overnight stays did not change significantly from 2022 for German residents, while it increased by 33.3% for Italian residents and declined by 1.5% for French residents. Turning to other countries, the number of overnight stays by UK residents dropped by 5.2%, while the number of overnight stays by US residents rose by 23.1%. Finally, overnight stays by Russian residents increased by 8.5% - Table 5 and Chart 5.   

Cruises

Since 2012, the Bank of Greece has conducted a cruise-specific survey (“Cruise Survey”) in order to enrich the data collected through its Border Survey. Following a standardised methodology[3], detailed cruise data for 2023 were collected at 16 Greek ports, covering 83.7% of all cruise ship arrivals in Greece.

Total receipts from cruise passengers in 2023 rose by 84.1% year-on-year to €908.4 million. Of this amount, €61.0 million were already captured in the Border Survey data, as they represent receipts from last port travellers, eventually leaving the country, while the remaining €847.4 million concern additional receipts data recorded by the Cruise Survey - Tables 6 and 7.

Chart 6 shows a breakdown of cruise receipts by port. The port of Piraeus ranks first with a share of 47.8% in total receipts, followed by the port of Corfu with 13.3% and the port of Santorini with 8.5% respectively.

The year under review saw 5,152 cruise ship arrivals (2022: 4,598). Total overnight stays ashore rose by 121.5% year-on-year to 9,421.9 thousand in 2023, with a positive impact on cruise receipts. The total number of cruise passengers also rose year-on-year, by 61.1% to an estimated 3,484.1 thousand - Table 7.

Chart 7 shows a breakdown of cruise ship arrivals by port. The port of Santorini ranks first with a share of 15.5% in total cruise ship arrivals, followed by the port of Piraeus with 14.8% and the port of Mykonos with 14.5% respectively.

In 2023, the total number of cruise passenger visits rose by 55.0% to 6,964.2 thousand, from 4,493.6 thousand in 2022 - Table 8. According to the Cruise Survey, 83.6% of all cruise passengers were transit visitors, with an average of 2.0 stopovers at Greek ports of call. The seven most important cruise ship ports account for 90.8% of total cruise receipts and 82.7% of total cruise passenger visits.   

Balance of travel services by region

As suggested by the Border Survey, travel receipts in 2023 amounted to €19,746.3 million. Five regions accounted for the bulk (90.5%) of total receipts - Table 9 - namely: the Southern Aegean (€5,340.8 million), Crete (€5,196.3 million), Attica (€3,786.9 million), the Ionian Islands (€2,038.8 million) and Central Macedonia (€1,514.8 million). The remaining regions (the Peloponnese, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Western Greece, Central Greece, the Northern Aegean and Western Macedonia) together accounted for €1,868.6 million.

Visits to Greece (all 13 regions combined) in 2023 totalled 36,135.6 thousand. The number of visits exceeds the number of inbound travellers estimated by the Border Survey (32,735.2 thousand), as travellers may visit more than one region in the course of one trip.

The five most visited regions, accounting for 83.9% of total visits, were: Attica (7,888.7 thousand visits), the Southern Aegean (6,960.7 thousand), Central Macedonia (6,565.9 thousand), Crete (5,521.7 thousand) and the Ionian Islands (3,377.9 thousand). The remaining regions (Epirus, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Western Greece, Central Greece, the Northern Aegean and Western Macedonia) together accounted for 5,820.6 thousand visits.

The number of overnight stays in Greece in the period under review totalled 227,937.7 thousand. According to the breakdown into the 13 regions, five regions accounted for 87.7% of total overnight stays, namely: the Southern Aegean (50,643.4 thousand nights), Crete (45,837.2 thousand), Attica (44,347.7 thousand), the Central Macedonia (32,272.1 thousand) and the Ionian Islands (26,914.9 thousand). The remaining regions (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the Peloponnese, Epirus, Thessaly, Western Greece, Central Greece, the Northern Aegean and Western Macedonia) together accounted for 27,922.5 thousand overnight stays.

RELATED TOPICS: GreeceGreek tourism newsTourism in GreeceGreek islandsHotels in GreeceTravel to GreeceGreek destinationsGreek travel marketGreek tourism statisticsGreek tourism report

Photo Source: pixabay.com

Tornos
  1. 14/02 19:45

    Turkish tourists arrive in Greek island of Rhodes this season

  2. 14/02 19:44

    Love at first sight for Lipsi - watch the Mayor's music video with rapper

  3. 14/02 18:31

    The picture of short-term rental in Greece in 2024 - revenues at 874 million euros

  4. 14/02 13:36

    GNTO UK meets Irish media in Dublin

  5. 14/02 12:26

    Pieria's promotion in the Italian market - POTAP's participation in the BIT exhibition

  6. 14/02 11:23

    Olga Kefalogianni honored at reception for birthday of the Japanese Emperor

  7. 14/02 11:15

    Greek Meetings Alliance meets with Andreas Fiorentinos on MICE tourism

  8. 14/02 09:04

    Wine Routes in the Peloponnese: Three Families, Three Stories of Passion

  9. 14/02 07:56

    V. Katsaras | Optimism for the season in the Greek island of Naxos

  10. 14/02 06:51

    European Airport Passenger Traffic in 2024: Recovery and New Challenges

  11. 13/02 19:13

    Greek Tourism Minister meets with the Ambassadors of Algeria and Romania

  12. 13/02 17:19

    Halkidiki: The Greek paradise that fascinates Italy

  13. 13/02 15:16

    Dertour acquires Hotelplan Group without Interhome

  14. 13/02 12:57

    FORTH's new Research and Culture Multi-Cultural Center opens in Heraklion

  15. 13/02 12:54

    Sun d’Or: 5 weekly connections to Heraklion in the summer of 2025

  16. 13/02 12:51

    New general manager of IHG for Oman, Qatar and Bahrain

  17. 13/02 12:10

    How VW is extending the tourist season in Greece - which hotel did it open for its sake

  18. 13/02 12:03

    Athenian Carnival with a multitude of activities in the seven municipal communities

  19. 13/02 12:00

    This year, access to the Kourtaliotiko Gorge in Rethymno will be by ticket

  20. 13/02 09:47

    Payments of subsidies for hotel investments in Zagori, Xylokastro, and Sivota

  21. 13/02 09:35

    Forbes Awards to 15 Greek hotels – The three trends changing luxury travel

  22. 13/02 08:41

    Amfilochia: Development of digital content for tourism promotion

  23. 13/02 07:44

    Cooperation network of municipalities of Eastern Mani and Gavdos and for tourism

  24. 12/02 20:46

    Patras Carnival | Prices and occupancy skyrocketing - Indicative "price list"

  25. 12/02 20:27

    Alexandros Vassilikos was honored today by the North Aegean Region

  26. 12/02 20:19

    Olympic Holidays | Albania is a new destination this summer - additions to Greece and Cyprus

  27. 12/02 19:15

    Museum of Cycladic Art | Unknown Stories of Women of the Cyclades islands

  28. 12/02 16:10

    The Israeli Ambassador to Greece visits the Heraklion Chamber

  29. 12/02 15:03

    Royal Caribbean International | Cruises from Piraeus in the summer of 2025

  30. 12/02 14:59

    Smartwings Poland: New charter flights to Kavala in 2025

  31. 12/02 13:05

    Eurowings launches new tour operator in Germany - aiming to reach top-10

  32. 12/02 12:56

    Tourism | Halkidiki among the steadily growing destinations in Greece

  33. 12/02 12:51

    Thessaloniki, the main port of the Balkans - The port's Master Plan

  34. 12/02 11:37

    11th Birthday for Discovergreece.com 

  35. 12/02 07:31

    Expansion and promotion of the Explore Ionian Islands application

  36. 12/02 07:18

    The Region of Western Greece travels to New York

  37. 12/02 07:11

    Tourism: Where will Germans travel in 2025 - Greece's position

  38. 12/02 06:23

    The X-ray of Corfu's 5 main tourist markets

  39. 12/02 01:04

    Direct connection of Chania airport to Israel to be strengthened

  40. 11/02 21:17

    Attica taxi drivers' union to organize 24-hour strike on February 19

  41. 11/02 20:11

    Greek Tourism Minister and S. Korean Ambassador talk sector cooperation

  42. 11/02 17:31

    The Athens Hoteliers Association celebrates its 80th anniversary

  43. 11/02 17:07

    Barclays and Wyndham renew co-branded credit card partnership

  44. 11/02 16:28

    The flagship project "Urban Regeneration of parts of Eastern Kalamaria" underway

  45. 11/02 16:15

    Commission: European Water Resilience Strategy in public consultation

  46. 11/02 15:37

    Greek Tourism: Heading for new records in 2025 from 5 major markets

  47. 11/02 12:50

    TUI | Greece at the top of summer bookings

  48. 11/02 12:47

    Etihad: With the new Airbus A321neo LR, the Abu Dhabi - Athens connection in 2026

  49. 11/02 12:47

    The Athens Municipal Library reopens on February 11, 2025

  50. 11/02 08:59

    Kos as a pioneering center for sustainable island development

  51. 11/02 08:44

    Psara: Tourism development with an emphasis on the rich historical heritage

  52. 11/02 07:55

    Lycabettus Run Race on Lycabettus Hill on February 23rd

  53. 11/02 07:52

    Croatia | 9 international airports support tourism development - connectivity with Greece

  54. 11/02 01:39

    What the Israeli Ambassador discussed at the Chania Chamber

  55. 10/02 16:58

    Saudia: New seasonal connection Jeddah – Heraklion in summer 2025

  56. 10/02 14:54

    Opening Crete to the Indian and Asian tourism market

  57. 10/02 14:40

    1 in 4 fall in love while traveling - Valentine's Day survey

  58. 10/02 09:34

    Expedia Group: 12% more nights in 2024

  59. 10/02 07:49

    Decisions for 6 hotels in Rhodes, Spetses, Crete, Kalamata, and Agia Marina Fthiotidas

  60. 10/02 07:44

    Greek yachting at the BOOT exhibition

  61. 09/02 19:36

    Rethymno Carnival 2025 | The event of the theme “Come to the Light” is fantastic

  62. 09/02 07:32

    How can tourism contribute to the growth of Greek cosmetic products in Britain

  63. 09/02 07:29

    Castle scholars from all over the world promote Frogakastello in Crete

  64. 08/02 18:02

    Landing of Kantanos-Selinou Municipality in Reisen Hamburg 2025 exhibition

  65. 08/02 08:24

    Chris Nassetta, Hilton: Optimistic about 2025 despite market challenges

  66. 08/02 07:19

    Seven shipwrecks removed from Pylos marina

  67. 07/02 23:09

    Grant payments for 4 hotel investments in Paxos, Lefkada, Zakynthos and Chania

  68. 07/02 18:40

    Olga Kefalogianni in HORECA | Greece has experience in managing natural phenomena

  69. 07/02 15:06

    FedHATTA: “Opening up” of Greek travel agencies to the Iranian market

  70. 07/02 14:35

    New Head of Hotel Purchasing at alltours

  71. 07/02 13:49

    ShortStay Conference 2025 returns to Athens

  72. 07/02 13:26

    Applications for the Best Tourism Villages 2025 are now open

  73. 07/02 13:02

    Springer Reisen: 20 connections to Greek islands this summer

  74. 07/02 12:26

    Greece: Nearly 30 million international air arrivals in 2024 - Who traveled where

  75. 07/02 11:19

    Europe as a single tourist destination - A. Fiorentinos at the Destination Europe Summit 2025

  76. 07/02 06:55

    Positive prospects for tourism in 2025 but major “thorns” remain

  77. 07/02 06:41

    British travel agents “discover” Naxos - Record arrivals in 2024

  78. 07/02 06:14

    Donation from HEDNO for the restoration of the Ottoman Bath of Kalloni in Lesvos

  79. 06/02 18:58

    Work on the Thessaloniki Flyover is progressing at a rapid pace

  80. 06/02 18:54

    Sports Tourism | Ministerial meeting for the Euroleague Coaches Conference 2025

  81. 06/02 18:25

    29.3 million international air arrivals in 2024, with clear signs of an extended season

  82. 06/02 16:43

    Artificial intelligence in tourism: what TUI research shows

  83. 06/02 15:49

    Greece, a holiday and investment destination for Arabs

  84. 06/02 14:42

    Sotheby’s: The Athenian Riviera is first in demand for luxury properties

  85. 06/02 13:48

    More flights to Greece in 2025 from the Irish market

  86. 06/02 12:05

    Travelers are paying attention to cost and quality, few to sustainability

  87. 06/02 11:57

    Wyndham and HR Group expand into Germany, Austria and the Netherlands

  88. 06/02 07:37

    How will Naxos deal with the risk of water shortages ahead of the tourist season

  89. 06/02 07:28

    Attica Region: There is no overtourism in Athens - a warning for infrastructure

  90. 06/02 07:16

    Grant payments for 4 hotel investments in Rhodes, Chania, Itilo and Sivota

  91. 06/02 07:05

    Crete will send its visitors for greens!

  92. 06/02 06:11

    Municipality of Folegandros: Prohibition of roaming or grazing animals in tourist areas

  93. 05/02 19:57

    Milos Municipality attempts to block second investment for 5-star hotel

  94. 05/02 19:03

    National Action Plan for Cycling, with development in cycling tourism

  95. 05/02 16:51

    Curtain Call for the 2025 Rethymno Carnival

  96. 05/02 15:46

    Ryanair: New Brussels – Volos connection in summer 2025

  97. 05/02 12:41

    The first robotic restaurant with artificial intelligence at Barcelona Airport

  98. 05/02 12:40

    Athens Airport: 2025 started on a positive note,+14.5% passengers in January

  99. 05/02 12:35

    How foreign travel professionals will promote Greek destinations

  100. 05/02 11:45

    Tourism: 4 Greek islands capture Americans’ 2025 vacation interest