Greek travellers are shifting decisively toward package holidays, overseas destinations and off-peak bookings this year, as economic strain and geopolitical uncertainty reshape the country’s holiday habits.
Travel agent Yiannis Tzobanakis told ERT, the public broadcaster, that Greeks had refused to give up their right to a holiday despite the pressures, describing what he called a pleasant surprise: a return to package holidays after years in which many travellers lost money to last-minute cancellations or other mishaps booking independently.
This year, he said, holidaymakers had opted for the security of organised travel, and had leaned heavily toward destinations abroad.
Adriatic destinations such as Croatia, Montenegro and the Albanian Riviera were drawing particular interest, Mr Tzobanakis said, emerging as serious rivals to Greece’s own coastline on the tourist map. Within Greece itself, demand has shifted toward the mainland, the Ionian islands and more affordable, accessible destinations such as Thassos, Kythira and Lefkada.
The trend reflects travellers’ efforts to manage rising costs.
Figures from a recent study by the Greek Tourism Confederation’s research institute, INSETE, confirm the strength of outbound Greek tourism, which posted gains across every key metric between 2024 and 2025. Departures rose 8%, to 7.2 million from 6.7 million; overnight stays rose 3%, to 35.5 million; and spending rose 19%, reaching a record €3.3 billion.
The rise in spending reflects both inflationary pressure and a shift away from Balkan destinations toward Central and Northern Europe.
Travel to eurozone countries saw the sharpest growth, with departures up 10% and spending up 23%; average spending per trip to eurozone states was around 2.6 times higher than trips to non-eurozone EU countries. Greek travellers’ average daily spend in the eurozone, at €97, was 12% higher than that of eurozone visitors to Greece, at €87.
Despite a shorter average length of stay, overall average per capita spending rose 10% to €464 — evidence, the study suggests, that a segment of the Greek market now has the purchasing power to invest more heavily in higher-quality travel experiences and city breaks abroad.
