Greece Sees Int’l Arrivals Rise in 2019, Drop in Domestic Traffic

The number of international arrivals to Greece increased by 3.9 percent in 2019 to 21.5 million or by an additional 803 thousand passengers against 2018 but domestic travel flows eased by 0.1 percent, according to SETE Intelligence (INSETE), the research department of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).

The rise in international arrivals was driven by a 12 percent increase in traffic flows through Athens International Airport to 6.4 million passengers, and via Thessaloniki Airport, which recorded 8.1 percent growth to 2.3 million. All other airports saw slower activity by 0.5 percent.

More specifically, according to INSETE’s statistical bulletin, the airports in the Dodecanese marked a marginal increase by 0.4 percent to 3.6 million international air arrivals.

Crete welcomed a total of 4.4 million international visitors in 2019, marking a 2.0 percent drop.

International traffic through the Ionian islands airports also slowed down by 0.4 percent to 2.9 million arrivals.

The number of international visitors grew in the Cyclades by 6.1 percent in 2019 to 994 thousand and in the Peloponnese by 9.3 percent to 238 thousand.

International road arrivals in 2019 fell by 1.6 percent to 12.3 million.

In November, 930 thousand travelers visited Greece against 786 thousand in the same month in 2018, recording an 18.2 percent rise against the same month a year earlier.

Overall, in the 11-month period, incoming traffic came to 1.2 million up by 4.0 percent against the same period in 2018.