Greek Tourism Revenue Jumps 14.8% in First Half of 2026

Greece's tourism sector experienced a significant boost in the first half of 2026, with travel receipts soaring by 14.8% to 8.8 billion euros compared to the same period in 2025. The Bank of Greece reported that this surge led to a travel balance surplus of 6.9 billion euros, an increase from the 6 billion euros recorded in the previous year.

The primary driver behind this revenue growth was a substantial 15.4% increase in inbound tourist arrivals. While the average spending per trip saw a marginal decrease of 0.6%, the sheer volume of visitors more than compensated, leading to the overall rise in receipts.

Receipts from EU-27 residents increased by 10.7% to 4.5 billion euros, while those from residents of other countries rose by 19.7% to 3.8 billion euros. Notably, receipts from Eurozone countries grew by 13.3%, reaching 3.7 billion euros. However, receipts from Germany fell by 6.3% to 1.2 billion euros, and from France by 7.4% to 414 million euros. Conversely, Italy saw a significant 31.1% increase in receipts, totaling 470 million euros.

Looking at non-EU countries, the United Kingdom contributed 1.1 billion euros, an 8.5% increase, and the United States contributed 796 million euros, an 10.8% rise. In June alone, travel receipts grew by 1.2% to 3.4 billion euros, driven by a 6.9% increase in inbound traffic, although average spending per trip decreased by 6.2%.