Surprise tourism arrivals increase for February 2026

It’s been announced in the last week that tourism related revenue in Greece has exceeded €1 billion, January to February 2026. So far, Greece has recorded a 2.4% increase in numbers for February arrivals which stand at 811,585. A 1.7% increase has been recorded for combined overnight stays at hotels, campsites, and short-stay collective accommodations in February, which stands at 1,764,853. The number have been compared with February 2025, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

Greek City Times published a further breakdown of numbers as follows:

“Foreign visitor arrivals rose 1.9 percent year-on-year, with overnight stays up 0.9 percent. Domestic travelers posted stronger growth, with arrivals climbing 2.7 percent and overnight stays increasing 2.2 percent.

Greek residents accounted for the larger share of activity, contributing 64.7 percent of total arrivals and 60.2 percent of overnight stays across all accommodation types. The average length of stay stood at 2.2 nights.

Travel receipts reached €1.006 billion in January–February, marking a 70.7% increase compared with the same period in 2025. The growth reflected higher spending from both EU and non-EU visitors.

Receipts from residents of EU-27 countries rose by 74.3% to €477.5 million, while income from non-EU countries increased by 70.0% to €516.3 million. Within the eurozone, receipts climbed by 68.6% to €407.9 million, while visitors from EU countries outside the eurozone contributed €69.5 million.
Country-specific data showed mixed trends. Receipts from Germany fell slightly by 0.8% to €66.6 million, while income from France surged by 76.8% to €29.4 million. Revenue from Italy rose by 41.5% to €55.6 million. From outside the EU, receipts from the United Kingdom reached €173.4 million, while those from the United States declined by 13.3% to €92.5 million.

Inbound travel also increased significantly. Visitor numbers rose by 38.5% to 2.12 million, up from 1.5 million in the same period last year. Air arrivals grew by 19.0%, while road border crossings surged by 83.9%.

Travel from EU-27 countries reached 1.1 million visitors, marking a 49.1% increase, while arrivals from non-EU countries rose by 28.6% to 1.023 million. Travel from eurozone countries increased by 37.3%, while arrivals from EU countries outside the eurozone surged by 129.5%.
Among key markets, arrivals from Germany rose by 8.2% to 174,400 travellers, while visitors from France increased by 41.5% to 54,800. Travel from Italy edged up by 3.6% to 83,700 visitors. From non-EU countries, arrivals from the United Kingdom jumped by 56.7% to 164,200, while those from the United States fell by 9.8% to 98,100.”

It's an interesting start to Greek tourism in 2026 and we wait to see what the tourism stats are for the reminder of 2026.

Source: Local Greek News