Athens is emerging as a year-round city-break destination rather than just a transit point despite challenges and lack of governmental strategy. According to the new board of the Athens-Attica-Argosaronic Hotel Association bookings for the Christmas holidays have increased by up to 30%.
More specifically, the hotel association aims to strengthen the voice of Athens’ hoteliers by expanding its membership and actively submitting proposals to improve tourism policy.
The goal is to position Athens as a city capable of welcoming significantly more than the 7.5 million tourists it received in 2023, benefiting not just the hotel sector but the Greek economy as a whole.
Despite this effort, as hotel representatives claim, the state remains largely absent from this development, as it fails to create conditions that would “cement” this trend—such as, for instance, establishing a large conference center.
Compared to other European capitals, Athens still lags behind, despite the progress made, as noted by the Association’s new president.
“When Amsterdam welcomes over 15 million tourists a year and London is a traditional Christmas destination, Athens still falls short,” the president stated.
The fact that the tourism profile of the capital is changing is also evident from other data, such as traveler searches on Google for Athens, which have increased by up to 50% annually for 2025.
Searches by Americans for the Greek capital have risen by 50%, followed by Israelis at 30%, Britons at 15%, and the French at 4%. This development indicates that Athens is establishing itself as a tourist destination.
A crucial factor in attracting more Americans in 2025 is expected to be the increased number of direct connections from Athens International Airport to airports across the Atlantic.
Furthermore, hotel occupancy data confirms this trend, with occupancy rates for the four-month period from Nov. to Feb.—traditionally low-occupancy months—being significantly better than in previous years.
Sources from the Athens hotel sector report that there is a feeling of optimism this year, compared to last year, but Athens is still not in a position to compete with traditional markets.
This assessment is supported by the fact that this year, Athens hotels are recording a 30% increase in occupancy compared to the same period last year during the holiday season.
