Greece Expects Record Tourism Year in 2025

Greece is heading toward another record-breaking year for tourism in 2025, despite ongoing labour shortages in the sector, according to Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni.

Speaking to the Greek news agency ANA, Kefalogianni said the outlook for tourism remains very positive. She added that early signs for 2026 are also encouraging, raising hopes for continued growth.

Data from the Bank of Greece shows that between January and the end of September 2025, Greece welcomed 31.6 million visitors. This marks a four percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Tourism across the full year also surged, with 40.7 million visitors recorded in 2024, up 12.8 percent from 2023.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Greece has consistently broken records in both tourism revenue and foreign arrivals, driven by strong global demand for its islands, beaches and archaeological sites.

However, the rapid rise in tourism has raised concerns. In popular destinations, locals have complained about uncontrolled construction and rising rents linked to the growth of short-term holiday rentals. Climate change is also a growing challenge, with frequent heatwaves and destructive wildfires threatening the sector.

Tourism has been a key pillar of economic recovery under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who has highlighted its importance since taking office in 2019.

According to the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), tourism directly contributed around 13 percent of Greece’s GDP in 2024 and indirectly accounted for more than 30 percent of the economy.