Greeks traveled abroad at a higher rate in 2023, according to data from the Greek research and policy institute for the tourism sector, INSETE in its latest study titled “Outbound Travel Movement from Greece, 2019-2023”.
The findings published INSETE revealed that although the numbers were not yet on par with pre-pandemic levels, a total of 6.2 million departures, 34.9 million overnight stays, and 2.4 billion euros in expenditures were recorded.
The comprehensive study examines the data on outbound tourism overall, by destination country within and outside the Eurozone and the European Union, analyzing departure, overnight stay, and payment data for two distinct periods: 2019-2023 and 2022-2023.
The data showed that there was a striking shift from Balkan destinations to “traditional” European destinations such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
After the low levels of 2020 and 2021, last year, outbound tourism from Greece showed a recovery for the second consecutive year, driven by the improvement in the country’s economic climate combined with the complete lifting of travel restrictions.
For the period 2019-2023, that is, the past year compared to the last year before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, outbound tourism from Greece recovered in 2023. However, it still lags behind pre-pandemic levels both in terms of departures (down 21%, from 7.8 million in 2019 to 6.2 million in 2023) and overnight stays (down 22%, from 44.9 million in 2019 to 34.9 million in 2023), as well as to a lesser extent in terms of payments (-11%, from 2.7 billion euros in 2019 to 2.4 billion in 2023).
For 2022-2023, outbound tourism recovered in terms of departures (+21%, from 5.1 million euros in 2022 to 6.2 million in 2023) and payments (+26%, from 1.9 billion euros in 2022 to 2.4 billion in 2023) while it still lags in terms of overnight stays (-2%, from 35.7 million euros in 2022 to 34.9 million in 2023).
Insete: Overnight Stays
Greeks recorded an average of 5.6 overnight stays abroad last year, slightly down from 5.7 overnight stays in 2019. However, the Average per Capita Expenditure (APCE) increased by 12%, from 350 euros in 2019 to 393 in 2023, as the Average Expenditure per Overnight Stay (AENS) showed a relatively higher increase of 14%, from 61 euros in 2019 to 70 in 2023.
