German vacationers lead visits to Greece - German tourists take top spot in Greece's tourist arrivals
Last year, Greece welcomed a record-breaking 36 million tourists, with German travelers accounting for a substantial portion of this influx. Approximately 5.7 million German tourists visited Greece, marking a nearly 13% increase compared to 2023. The Greek tourism association SETE anticipates this trend to continue in 2024.
In terms of sheer numbers, German tourists outpaced visitors from the United Kingdom, who came in second with 4.7 million guests. Bulgarian tourists followed closely in third place, with nearly 3 million visitors. Notably, the northern Aegean region experienced a 40% surge in visitors, including popular islands like Lesbos, Chios, and Samos.
Overall, international tourists made approximately 230 million overnight stays and contributed over 20 billion euros to Greece's economy. On average, tourists stayed for six nights and spent around 523 euros.
However, regional spending varies significantly. For instance, a visit to the popular holiday island of Crete cost an average of around 770 euros last year, while visitors to the region of Epirus in northwestern Greece only had to budget around 192 euros.
The tourism sector remains a critical component of Greece's economy, contributing almost 30% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Although specific data on the increase in German tourism nationwide for 2024 is not detailed, Germany was a leading market for Greece’s tourism sector, with almost 1.6 million German tourists visiting Crete alone in 2024, according to available information. The overall tourism revenue in Greece for 2024 reached substantial figures, ranging between €21.6 billion and €30.2 billion.
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The community in Greece is considering implementing a policy to offer vocational training programs to provide locals with skills catering to the tourism industry, given the substantial number of German tourists and the prospects of continued growth in tourism. These programs could also help in balancing the disparity in regional spending, potentially enhancing the lifestyle of people living in economically less-developed regions.
