By Alexia Sotiriou

A total of 7.089 million foreign tourists "landed" in Greece from January to May 2025, boosting travel receipts to 4.352 billion euros, according to data announced by the Bank of Greece.

In the five-month period, the travel balance showed a surplus of 3.007 billion euros, compared to a surplus of 2.761 billion euros in the corresponding period in 2024.

Travel receipts recorded an increase of 491.9 million euros or 12.7%, while an increase of 246.1 million euros or 22.4% was also observed in travel payments, which reached 1.345 billion euros.

Double-digit increase in average expenditure per trip

According to the Bank of Greece, the higher travel receipts were attributed to both the increase in inbound travel traffic by 2.1% and the increase in average expenditure per trip by 10.4%. Net receipts from travel services offset the deficit in the goods balance by 21.9% and contributed 72.9% to total net receipts from services.

In the first five months of 2025, travel receipts recorded an increase of 12.7% compared to the corresponding period of 2024 and amounted to 4.352 billion euros. This development is due to both the increase in receipts from residents of the EU-27 countries by 10.9%, which amounted to 2.327 billion euros, and the increase in receipts from residents of other countries by 15.1%, which amounted to 1.813 billion euros. More specifically, receipts from residents of the euro area countries totaled 1.878 billion euros, marking an increase of 3.6%, while receipts from residents of the EU-27 countries outside the euro area increased by 57.2% to 446.9 million euros.

Coastal shipping and yachting, fundamental elements of Greek tourism

To enhance the country's maritime tourism, the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping is honoring the vital roles of coastal shipping and yachting.

The President of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, George Alexandratos, stated: "Coastal shipping and yachting are fundamental elements of the Greek maritime tradition and maritime tourism. The continuous development of these sectors contributes significantly to the increase in jobs and the strengthening of the national economy, showcasing Greece as the most ideal – perhaps – summer destination."