Greece has experienced a record surge in international arrivals during the first four months of 2024, with an additional 420,000 visitors compared to the same period last year, according to data released by INSETE, the research body of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).
From January to April 2024, Greece welcomed a total of 4.9 million international arrivals, an increase driven by 335,000 more air travelers and 85,000 more road travellers. Specifically, air arrivals reached 3.1 million, up by 12.3 percent from 2023, and road arrivals totaled 1.8 million, marking a 5.1 percent rise.
Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos Airport recorded a significant 16.5 percent increase, handling 1.8 million international arrivals. Thessaloniki's Makedonia Airport followed with 571,000 arrivals, up by 7.9 percent, and Heraklion Airport in Crete saw 231,000 arrivals, a 5.1 percent increase.
However, some airports experienced declines. Kefalonia's airport saw a 21.6 percent drop in arrivals, while Santorini and Mykonos experienced decreases of 6.6 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively.
Financially, travel receipts in the first quarter of the year increased by 28.2 percent, reaching 942 million euros. This growth was fuelled by a 48.2 percent rise in arrivals from EU countries, generating 470 million euros, and a 13.1 percent increase from non-EU countries, contributing 451 million euros.
Key source markets for this period included Germany, with a 43.8 percent increase in arrivals, the UK with a 4.8 percent rise, and the US with a 32.4 percent boost.
In terms of hotel satisfaction in April, Greece and Cyprus topped the rankings with an 87 percent satisfaction rate on the General Satisfaction Index (GRI), followed by Turkey and Spain at 85 percent, and Italy at 84 percent.
(Source: GTP)
