Austrians are stepping on the gas for Greece

Greece is emerging as the number one destination among Austrians for the summer of 2025, according to data presented by TUI Austria, which even shows Greece as a strong destination in pre-bookings by a quarter compared to the corresponding period last year.

Tourism is proving to be resilient to the challenges of the economy and global crises, with the trend of pre-bookings rising. The tour operator sees positive signs for a successful summer season and estimates that bookings will continue to rise in the coming days and weeks.

The top destination countries for 2025, led by Greece, are followed in second place by Turkey, which is attracting 40% more travelers this year, and in third place by Spain with a stable number of reservations. Egypt, the USA, Italy, Cyprus, Portugal, Croatia and Tunisia are also included in this ranking.

Crete, Rhodes, and Kos are among the top destinations for the summer

At the level of individual destinations, Crete, Rhodes and Kos seem to be attracting top interest from Austrians. TUI has compiled a ranking of the airports with the highest demand for reservations, in which Heraklion is the second airport in order, while Rhodes and Kos are in 4th and 5th place. Antalya attracted the highest demand, while Palma came in third. These airports attract the largest number of Austrian TUI visitors for the summer of 2025.

First charter flights to Greece on April 10

The tour operator has made sure to increase air connections to Greece in 2025, responding to the particularly strong demand for our country, while also adding a new destination. Greece will be TUI's destination with the most air connections from Austria, followed by Turkey and Spain. The first charter flights start on April 10, in time for Easter, with the Vienna-Rhodes connection and on April 11 with Vienna-Crete. A new destination for 2025 is Lemnos, for which a weekly flight from Vienna will be offered from June 29.

TUI has increased its flight capacity for this summer by 18%, with a total of 300 weekly departures, as well as the flexibility to dynamically connect scheduled flights from different carriers. In total, its Austrian customers will be able to choose from 35 destinations in 9 medium-haul holiday countries.

In terms of the hotel portfolio, the TUI Kids Club Roda in Corfu has been added, with several swimming pools and water slides, the Time to Smile apartment brand is being expanded to Greece and Cyprus, while TUI Blue is to open a new hotel in Rhodes, Marsa Alam and Tenerife.

In addition to the TUI Magic Life and Robinson Clubs, TUI will offer a total of 46 TUI Kids Clubs with German-speaking childcare staff and an extensive all-inclusive offer by 2025.

Trend for family holidays and advance bookings

40% of the tour operator’s Austrian customers travel with members of their immediate family, while more and more families choose to travel with family members from different generations in order to spend quality time together, with a clear increase in demand for large family rooms and hotels with water slides, especially in Turkey, Egypt, and Greece. Budget security is important for these travelers, with many preferring all-inclusive for this reason, while there is also a rise in demand for self-catering holidays due to the ease of controlling expenses at the destination.

At the same time, there is a strong increase in demand for five-star and above hotels in TUI’s classic product.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report