Finance

Greece's travel sector sees 6 billion euro surplus in first half of 2025

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review

Posted on August 21, 2025

2 min read

· Last updated: January 22, 2026

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Greece's travel sector sees 6 billion euro surplus in first half of 2025
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(Reuters) -The Greek travel services sector saw a surplus of 6 billion euros ($7 billion) in the first half of 2025, a 9.1% increase from the previous year, the data from the Bank of Greece showed on

Greece's Travel Sector Achieves €6 Billion Surplus in H1 2025

Overview of Greece's Travel Sector Performance

(Reuters) -The Greek travel services sector saw a surplus of 6 billion euros ($7 billion) in the first half of 2025, a 9.1% increase from the previous year, the data from the Bank of Greece showed on Thursday.

Travel Receipts and Payments

In January to June, travel receipts rose 11% from the same period last year to 7.6 billion euros, driven by a 24% increase in travel payments and a 10.1% rise in average expenditure per overnight stay.

Inbound Traveler Statistics

Tourism accounts for more than a quarter of economic output, making the expenditure by visitors closely followed data.

Regional Performance Insights

In that period, receipts from residents of the 27-country European Union grew by 8.5% to 4.1 billion euros, and receipts from other countries grew 13.7% to 3.2 billion euros, with receipts from euro zone members Germany, France and Italy being the leading contributors to the growth.

Receipts from non-EU member Britain also grew by 7.3% to 1.2 billion euros and receipts from the United States were up 29.4% to 704.3 million euros.

In the first half of 2025, the number of inbound travellers to Greece rose 0.6% to 11.7 million, remaining at the roughly the same number as in 2024.

While the travel traffic through airports grew 4.9%, the traffic across road border-crossing points decreased by 13.1%, the Bank of Greece said.

($1 = 0.8588 euros)

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Alison Williams)

Key Takeaways

  • Greece's travel sector surplus reached €6 billion in H1 2025.
  • Travel receipts increased by 11% compared to the previous year.
  • EU residents contributed significantly to the growth.
  • US travel receipts surged by 29.4%.
  • Inbound travelers to Greece rose slightly by 0.6%.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a travel surplus?
A travel surplus occurs when the income generated from tourism, such as travel receipts, exceeds the expenditures by residents traveling abroad.
What are travel receipts?
Travel receipts refer to the total amount of money spent by foreign visitors in a country, including accommodation, food, and entertainment.
What is GDP?
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total monetary value of all goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.
What are inbound travelers?
Inbound travelers are individuals who travel to a country from abroad, contributing to the local economy through spending on various services.
What is average expenditure per overnight stay?
Average expenditure per overnight stay is the average amount of money spent by travelers for each night they stay in accommodations.

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