Greece Ranks 7th in Europe for Overnight Stays in 2024

Greece has solidified its position as a top European tourist destination, recording over 50 million overnight stays at tourist accommodations in the first six months of 2024. According to Eurostat, this places Greece seventh among 35 European countries.

Spain maintained its lead with over 211 million overnight stays during the same period, while Germany, France, and Italy followed closely. The Netherlands and Austria rounded out the top six.

Greece's performance, showing a 3.7% increase compared to the first six months of 2023, is particularly noteworthy in the Southern Mediterranean region, where it ranks fourth behind Spain, France, and Italy.

Of the total overnight stays in Greece, 41.5 million were attributed to international visitors, while 9.2 million were from domestic travellers.

Poland, Portugal, and Sweden also recorded significant overnight stays during this period, with Poland surpassing 41 million, Portugal reaching 38 million, and Sweden approaching 27 million.

Greece's European Competitors

In addition to Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy, Croatia also saw a rise in tourism, with 24 million overnight stays recorded. Albania, while registering a smaller absolute number of stays, experienced a remarkable 37.2% increase.

Europe-Wide Tourism Boom

Across Europe, 1.2 billion overnight stays were recorded at tourist accommodations during the first half of 2024. This represents a 2.2% increase compared to the same period in 2023 and a 4.3% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Foreign travellers in the EU contributed significantly to this growth, with overnight stays reaching 586 million between January and June 2024. Domestic travel within EU countries saw a slight decline but remained at a high level.