Greece’s Top Tourism Spenders in 2018 – Study

Over 50 percent of travel receipts in Greece came from six markets

Greece’s most important tourism markets for 2018, in terms of spending, were Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy and Russia, according to the Greek Tourism Confederation’s (SETE) research body INSETE.

According to an announcement, the six countries together accounted for 41.5 percent of visits, 49.7 percent of overnight stays and 52.2 percent of travel receipts in Greece last year.

The data, included among the key conclusions of a recent INSETE study that analyzes the data of Greece’s incoming tourism by market and by region for 2018, revealed that visitors from the US spend the most per night (89 euros) and tourists from Germany spend the most per visit (614 euros), due to their long stay (8.8 nights).

Five regions receive most of Greece’s tourists

The Acropolis, Athens. Photo: GTP

Meanwhile, the study underlined that 81.9 percent of visits, 86.2 percent of overnight stays and 88.1 percent of Greece’s incoming tourists mainly visited five regions: South Aegean, Crete, Attica, Central Macedonia and the Ionian Islands.

More into the study, Greece’s 30.1 visitors last year made 34.8 million visits to the country’s 13 regions, an increase of 12.3 percent compared to 2017. According to the data, each traveler on average visited 1.16 regions. Also, 12 out of the 13 regions showed an increase in the number of visits, 9 out of 13 recorded an increase in overnight stays, which resulted to a growth in revenue compared to 2017.

Overnight stays in Greece last year stood at 227 million, up 8.2 percent, and travel revenue stood at 15.6 billion euros, up 10.2 percent.

Spending per visit by region averaged at 449 euros, down 1.8 percent compared to 2017 (458 euros), as a result of the reduction in the length of stay, although spending per night increased.

The average spending per overnight stay in the 13 regions of the country in 2018 stood at an average of 69 euros, up 1.9 percent compared to 2017 (68 euros). The highest spending per overnight stay in 2018 was recorded in the South Aegean Region at 86 euros, up by 9.3 percent. Meanwhile, the lowest spending per overnight stay was recorded in the Region of Western Macedonia at 46 euros, down by 12 percent.

The average length of stay per visit in the regions of Greece was 6.5 nights, down by 3.7 percent.

The maximum stay of 8.4 nights was recorded in the Region of Crete, remaining at 2017 levels. The minimum stay in 2018 was 3.4 nights and recorded in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, recording a 16.6 drop.