Corfu, Greece. Photo: Alex Igna Greece's report on tourism data for the first five months of the year is reassuring. According to a report by the Greek research institute INSETE, since the beginning of the year there has been a 27.1% jump in the number of visitors to Greece. Revenues have jumped by almost 37%, and passenger traffic at airports continues to expand, mainly in Crete, the Ionian Islands and Athens.
According to the report, between January and May, approximately 6.6 million international arrivals were recorded through the country's main airports - an increase of 5% compared to the same period last year. In May alone, more than 3.1 million passengers arrived in Greece on international flights, an increase of 3.4% compared to May 2025.
Athens Airport continues to lead the table with approximately 2.86 million international passengers since the beginning of the year, followed by Thessaloniki with approximately 929 thousand passengers.
Another notable performer is the island of Crete, with Heraklion and Chania airports together recording more than 1.15 million international passengers, a double-digit increase compared to last year. The Ionian islands, including Corfu and Zakynthos, also continued to show impressive growth.
Corfu. Photo: ShutterstockDomestic flights also showed a growth trend. Between January and May, approximately 3.5 million passengers were registered on domestic flights - an increase of 5.8% compared to the same period in 2025.
Athens also led in this category with almost 1.7 million passengers, while the Cyclades Islands recorded the highest growth rate, thanks to a sharp increase in traffic to Santorini and Paros.
The growth in visitor numbers has also translated into revenue. The Central Bank of Greece reports that between January and April alone, Greece’s tourism revenue totaled €2.79 billion, a 36.9% increase over the same period in 2025. Revenue from tourists from the UK jumped by more than 100%, while revenue from tourists from the United States remained virtually unchanged.