2025 started with increased tourist receipts and a double-digit increase in arrivals, confirming the positive dynamics of Greek tourism, even in the “heart” of winter.
According to data announced by the Bank of Greece, Greece welcomed 821,600 foreign tourists in January 2025, with travel receipts reaching 302.2 million euros.
Specifically, according to provisional data, the travel balance in January 2025 showed a surplus of 87.5 million euros, compared to a surplus of 115.9 million euros in the corresponding month of 2024. Tourism receipts recorded an increase of 7.5% to 302.2 million euros, compared to 281.0 million euros in the corresponding month last year, while a large increase of 30.0% was also observed in travel payments (January 2025: 214.7 million euros, January 2024: 165.1 million euros).
Average expenditure per trip decreased by 3.5%
As shown by the BoG data, the increase in travel receipts is due to the increase in incoming travel traffic by 11.4%, as the average expenditure per trip fell by 3.5%. Net receipts from the provision of travel services offset the deficit in the goods balance by 3.0% and contributed by 34.7% to total net receipts from services.
Focusing on travel receipts, it appears that receipts from residents of EU countries dropped by 2.5% to 144.2 million euros, while on the contrary, receipts from residents of other countries recorded an impressive increase of 18.9% (January 2025: 156.0 million euros, January 2024: 131.2 million euros).
