Tourism receipts and inbound tourist arrivalsrose both in March and in the first quarter of 2026, according to preliminary data released by the Bank of Greece.
It should be noted that March showed strong performance, despite the fact that it was the month in which the military conflict in Iran began.
More specifically, based on the preliminary data, the travel balance in March 2026 showed a surplus of 409.6 million euros, compared to a surplus of 172.8 million euros in the corresponding month of 2025. Specifically, travel receipts rose by 55.6% in March 2026, reaching €669.4 million compared to €430.3 million in the corresponding month of 2025, while a 0.9% increase was also observed in travel payments (March 2026: €259.8 million, March 2025: €257.5 million). The increase in travel receipts is attributable both to a 38.1% rise in inbound travel and a 13.8% rise in average expenditure per trip. Net receipts from the provision of travel services offset 15.8% of the goods balance deficit and contributed 73.8% to total net receipts from services.
In the January-March 2026 period, the travel balance showed a surplus of 928.4 million euros, compared to a surplus of 352.6 million euros in the corresponding period of 2025. Travel receipts increased by €655.9 million ( 64.3%), reaching €1,676.1 million, while travel payments also rose by €80.1 million (12.0%), reaching €747.7 million. The rise in travel receipts is attributable both to a 38.3% increase in inbound travel and a 19.9% increase in average expenditure per trip. Net receipts from the provision of travel services offset 11.4% of the goods trade deficit and contributed 77.2% to total net receipts from services.
Travel receipts
In March 2026, as mentioned above, travel receipts increased by 55.6% compared to the same month in 2025. More specifically, receipts from residents of EU countries rose by 56.6%, reaching 347.8 million euros, while receipts from residents of other countries increased by 57.9% (March 2026: €307.9 million, March 2025: €195.0 million). The rise in receipts from residents of EU countries was the result of an increase in both receipts from residents of eurozone countries by 59.5% (March 2026: €301.3 million, March 2025: €189.0 million) as well as a 40.1% increase in receipts from residents of EU countries outside the euro area, which amounted to €46.4 million.
Specifically, regarding the most significant countries of origin for travelers from the eurozone, revenue from Germany increased by 16.9% to €55.9 million, while revenue from France decreased by 0.3% to €15.8 million. Receipts from Italy rose by 100.4% to €58.1 million. Among other countries, receipts from the United Kingdom rose by 35.5% to €39.9 million , as did those from the United States, which increased by 42.8% to €80.0 million.
During the January–March 2026 period, travel receipts rose by 64.3% compared to the same period in 2025, reaching €1,676.1 million. This development is attributed to an increase of 66.4% in receipts from EU residents, which amounted to 825.2 million euros, as well as a 65.2% increase in receipts from residents of other countries, which amounted to €824.2 million. More specifically, receipts from residents of eurozone countries amounted to €709.3 million, an increase of 64.6%, while receipts from residents of EU countries outside the eurozone rose by 78.0% to €116.0 million.
Specifically, receipts from Germany rose by 6.6% to €122.5 million, as did receipts from France, which increased by 39.1% to €45.2 million. Revenues from Italy were 66.5% higher, reaching €113.8 million. Among other countries, revenue from the United Kingdom saw a significant increase, reaching €213.3 million, while revenue from the U. S. rose by 6.0% to €172.5 million.
Inbound Travel
Inbound travel in March 2026 totaled 1,272,200 travelers, an increase of 38.1% compared to the same month in 2025. Specifically, travel traffic via airports increased by 18.5% and that via road border crossings by 85% compared to March 2025. The increase in inbound travel was driven by a rise in travel from both EU countries (up 55.5% ) and other countries (up 22.3%). More specifically, travel from eurozone countries totaled 555,200 travelers, an increase of 56.0%, while tourist arrivals from EU countries outside the eurozone were also up by 53.2%, reaching 124,500 travelers.
Specifically, travel from Germany rose by 47.7% to 123,000 travelers, as did travel from France, which increased by 3.1% to 22,600 travelers. Travel traffic from Italy rose by 62.0%, reaching 75,900 travelers. As for other countries, tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom rose by 36.9% to 85,800 travelers, while those from the U.S. fell by 6.8% to 74,500 travelers.
During the January–March 2026 period, inbound travel increased by 38.3% to 3,401,700 travelers, compared to 2,459,000 travelers in the corresponding period of 2025. Specifically, travel traffic via airports increased by 18.8%, and that via road border crossings by 84.3%. During the period under review, travel traffic from EU countries totaled 1,785,900 travelers, representing a 51.5% increase compared to the corresponding period of 2025, while travel from other countries increased by 26.2% to 1,615,800 travelers. Tourist arrivals from eurozone countries rose by 43.9%, while tourist arrivals from EU countries outside the eurozone rose by 94.4%.
Specifically, travel from Germany rose by 21.6% to 297,300 travelers, as did travel from France, which increased by 27.6% to 77,400 travelers. Travel traffic from Italy also rose by 25.0%, reaching 159,600 travelers. As for other countries, travel from the United Kingdom increased by 49.3% to 250,000 travelers, while travel from the United States decreased by 8.6% to 172,500 travelers.
*See the detailed data on the right in the "Related Materials" column.