Tourism in Greece is growing impressively.
In the last two years visitors have doubled and most of the tourists are coming from the UK.
Here are some of the findings from Visa’s analysis of Mediterranean tourism.
The analysis reveals that in 2023, 13% of the total number of visitors came from the UK, while the country that saw the largest increase in visitor numbers was Turkey with a whopping +163% increase.
Athens lead the way in terms of international card transactions with 25% which places it in the number 1 position amongst the Greek cities.
Data analysis
The analysis for Visa’s Mediterranean tourism is carried out by Visa Consulting and Analytics with data drawn from the Visa network.
The analysis covers trends following the Covid-19 pandemic and utilises data from 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The reference countries used in the research are Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Portugal, Turkey, Cyprus, Malta and Croatia.
Tourism in Greece vs other Mediterranean destinations
Tourism in Greece has been growing steadily since the pandemic.
Using 2019 as a benchmark, although the UK is consistently at the top of the visitor chart, the volume of visitors from countries with fewer visitors, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Romania and Ireland has increased significantly too.
For some countries, such as Switzerland, the increase in expenditure is in line with that of visitors, but in other cases, such as those of Romania and Germany, expenditure is recorded higher than the increase in visitors, indicating that average expenditure per visitor is also on the increase
The categories where the highest expenditure occurred
The highest spending in Greece in 2023, according to Visa’s analysis, is recorded on dining and nightlife, with accommodation and supermarket shopping following closely behind.
In fact, restaurants, bars and nightclubs accounted for 22%, hotels and accommodation for 19%, and supermarkets for 7%.
Athens: highest card transactions
In 2023 Athens came first ahead of all cities in Greece in card usage with a recorded 67% of transactions.
For the islands, Santorini tops the list with 57%, followed by Rhodes and then Chania.
Athens accounted for a fifth of all spending in the country, with all destinations showing an increase, except Mykonos.
Shift to digital payments
72% of foreign card transactions in Greece in 2023 were made at a point of sale compared to 84% in other Mediterranean countries, with more than half of them being contactless, while 28% were ATM withdrawals.
Tourism in Greece recovers after the pandemic
The analysis also shows that tourism in Greece has shown a strong recovery after the pandemic, with a 97% increase compared to 2021.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Visa and the Greek Government in March 2022, Visa will provide the Ministry of Tourism with aggregated data to facilitate understanding of tourism trends and make informed decisions to attract more and better targeted visitors and provide them with better experiences.
The Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, said: “The Ministry of Tourism is opening a new cycle of development with a focus on the qualitative characteristics of Greek tourism. A key prerequisite in this direction is the mapping of the real picture and trends of the tourism market. The cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Visa aims to record and synthesize all the information on the Greek tourism market and its competitive environment, contributing to the formulation of dynamic policies to address the major challenges for Greek tourism.”
Sevi Vassileva, Visa’s General Manager for Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel, commented: “Visa’s analysis of Mediterranean tourism provides important information to the Greek Government and the Ministry of Tourism, helping to create and implement strategies to improve the visitor experience. It is important not only to attract more tourists to Greece but also to enhance their experience to meet the demands and expectations of today’s travellers.”
“Tourism is a key pillar of the Greek economy and Visa is ready to help both the authorities and Greek businesses to maximise the benefits of digital payments. We believe that ensuring that tourists can pay safely and conveniently, as they do in their home countries, at every point of their journey – from the airport, to the bus (as with tap-to-ride recently introduced on Athens International Airport bus lines), to the restaurant or the beach – is essential.”
