A return to reality for Greeks after the end of their summer vacations, and a return to polls for parapolitika.gr which investigated Greek vacation trends during the summer period. As it appears, this summer proved “heavy” on Greeks’ wallets. High prices for accommodation, tickets and dining forced many to say “no” to vacations or limit themselves to fewer days of rest.
Specifically, increased prices made multi-day vacations… a luxury for many, with respondents still traveling, but to lower-cost destinations with shorter stays, while others apparently were not… particularly affected by the conditions.
@parapolitika Greeks vote: Vacations abroad or in Greece this summer? Report: Manos Anthoulakis Camera: Giorgos Vagenas #parapolitikagr #tiktokgreece #greece #galop #vacay
Parapolitika.gr poll: prices “crushed” wallets, foreign destinations gain popularity
A recent INSETE study records an increase in Greeks’ travel abroad. Specifically, the INSETE Intelligence research titled “Outbound travel movement from Greece, 2023-2024” states that in 2024, Greeks traveled abroad more compared to 2023. Meanwhile, travel expenses hit a historic record, although overnight stays have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, there was a shift from traditional Balkan destinations toward Central and Northern European countries.
The improvement in Greece’s economic climate led to positive developments in outbound tourism in 2024. According to the INSETE Intelligence study, departures increased by 8%, from 6.2 million in 2023 to 6.7 million in 2024, while payments showed a 15% rise, reaching €2.8 billion from €2.4 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, overnight stays recorded a marginal 1% decrease (34.5 million in 2024 from 34.9 million in 2023).
The faster rise in payments is attributed both to inflationary pressures that led to more expensive tourism packages and to Greek travelers’ preference for higher-cost destinations in Central and Northern Europe.
Travel to eurozone countries showed impressive growth across all metrics: departures +15%, overnight stays +5%, payments +19%. Traditional high-spending destinations like Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, France and the Netherlands increased their share from 27% to 28%, while neighboring low-cost countries Bulgaria and Turkey declined from 26% to 22%.
It’s noted that Average Per Capita Expenditure increased 7% (€420 in 2024 from €393 in 2023), Average Expenditure per Overnight Stay 17% (€81 from €70) and Average Duration of Stay decreased 9% (5.2 overnight stays from 5.6), according to the study. The increase in per capita expenditure is due to higher daily spending despite shorter stay duration, reinforced by choosing high-expenditure destinations and changing travel types (more beach holidays and city breaks, fewer visits to friends/relatives).
