Just Before the Start of the Season: Greece Travel Grows with Record International Arrivals

Increase in international passenger traffic to Greece in 2025. According to the official summary of the government research institute INSETE, the number of visitors arriving by international flights was approximately 31 million, an increase of 5.9% compared to 2024. This is an addition of approximately 1.7 million passengers, reflecting a continued trend of recovery and expansion in the aviation and tourism industry.

Leading Countries: Britain at Top, Followed by Germany, Italy, and France 

British tourists led the Greek tourism market with around 5.4 million passengers, followed by Germany with around 5.1 million passengers. Germany also showed the highest increase in absolute numbers. Italy, France, and Poland complete the top five, which together account for more than half of the international traffic.

In terms of growth rates, Israel stood out in particular with an increase of more than 27%, the United States with about 18.5%, and Turkey with about 14.5%, a figure indicating the strengthening of additional markets beyond Europe as part of the concessions granted in recent years to Turkish tourists wishing to visit Greece.

Expanding Season

July remains the peak month, with approximately 5.2 million passengers, but the data indicate a clear trend toward an expanding tourist season. While the summer months saw relatively moderate increases, the most significant increases were recorded at the beginning and end of the year.

The distribution of traffic among airports shows a high degree of concentration: the five main airports account for 77% of all traffic. Athens Airport leads with approximately 12 million passengers and an increase of 9%, followed by Heraklion in Crete, Rhodes, Thessaloniki and Corfu.

Corfu. Photo: Shutterstock

Regionally, growth was also recorded, with airports in the periphery reaching a combined 16.3 million passengers, an increase of approximately 3.1%. However, several destinations recorded declines, including the island of Santorini, which suffered from a prolonged series of earthquakes .

Overall, the data shows continued strengthening of demand for destinations in Greece, alongside a broader spread of traffic throughout the year and an expansion of source markets.