More than 27.7 million travelers (17.3% increase on an annual basis) visited Greece in the nine months (January-September) of 2023, while up 15.2% it was also the collections, with the surplus amounting to 16 billion euros.
According to data from the Bank of Greece, increased traffic by 12.7% was also recorded in Septembermonth in which visitors to the country were over 5 million travelers.
Particularly:
In the period January-September 2023:
- The travel balance displayed surplus of 16,071.0 million euros, against a surplus of 14,136.5 million euros in the corresponding period of 2022. Travel receipts showed an increase of 2,359.7 million euros (15.2%), which amounted to 17,919.5 million euros, while an increase of 425, 2 million euros (29.9%) was also observed in travel payments, which amounted to 1,848.5 million euros. The rise in travel receipts was driven by a 17.3% increase in inbound travel traffic as average spend per trip fell by 2.5%. Net receipts from the provision of travel services offset 67.5% of the deficit in the goods balance and contributed 85.0% to total net receipts from services.
- Travel receipts showed 15.2% increase compared to the corresponding period of 2022 and amounted to 17,919.5 million euros. This development is due to the increase in receipts from residents of EU-27 countries by 11.7%, which amounted to 9,981.6 million euros, as well as receipts from residents of non-EU-27 countries by 18.3 %, which amounted to 7,458.8 million euros. In more detail, receipts from residents of the euro zone countries amounted to 7,989.2 million euros, increased by 12.0%, while receipts from residents of the EU-27 countries outside the euro zone showed an increase of 10.5 % and amounted to 1,992.4 million euros. In particular, receipts from Germany increased by 4.4% and amounted to 2,965.7 million euros, while receipts from France increased by 10.6% and amounted to 1,290.7 million euros. From the countries outside the EU-27, receipts from the United Kingdom showed an increase of 6.8%, which amounted to 3,014.7 million euros. Receipts from the USA increased by 13.5% to EUR 1,115.7 million, while those from Russia decreased by 23.8% to EUR 28.0 million.
- Inbound travel traffic increased by 17.3% and amounted to 27,790.5 thousand travelers, compared to 23,686.7 thousand travelers in the corresponding period of 2022. In particular, travel traffic through airports increased by 11.7%, while that through road border stations by 36.7%. During the reviewed period, travel traffic from EU-27 countries amounted to 16,946.9 thousand travelers, showing an increase of 15.0% compared to the corresponding period of 2022, while travel traffic from countries outside the EU- 27 increased by 21.2% and amounted to 10,843.6 thousand travelers.
Travel traffic from euro area countries increased by 10.0%, while travel traffic from EU-27 countries outside the euro area increased by 25.2%. In particular, travel traffic from Germany increased by 6.5% and amounted to 3,855.5 thousand travelers, while that from France increased by 5.3% and amounted to 1,626.8 thousand travelers.
With reference to countries outside the EU 27, travel traffic from the United Kingdom increased by 0.8% to 3,882.4 thousand travelers and that from the USA by 32.6% to 1,108.0 thousand travelers. Finally, travel traffic from Russia decreased by 3.8% and amounted to 30.1 thousand travelers.
How did September go?
According to provisional data, the travel balance in September 2023 showed a surplus of €3,025.9 millionagainst a surplus of 2,666.1 million euros in the corresponding month of 2022. In particular, an increase of 14.6% was recorded in September 2023 by travel receipts, which amounted to 3,256.1 million euros, against 2,840.3 million euros in the corresponding month of 2022, while a 32.2% increase was also observed in travel payments (September 2023: 230.3 million euros, September 2022: 174.2 million euros).
The increase in travel receipts was driven by a 12.7% increase in inbound travel traffic, as well as a 1.6% increase in average spend per trip. Net receipts from the provision of travel services contributed 88.6% to total net receipts from services and more than offset the goods balance deficit by 107.4%.
Particularly:
- Travel receipts increased by 14.6% compared to the corresponding month of 2022. More specifically, receipts from residents of the EU-27 countries showed a 21.1% increase, which amounted to 1,826.2 million euros, while receipts from non-EU-27 residents increased by 6.7% (September 2023: €1,354.4 million, September 2022: €1,269.5 million). The rise in receipts from residents of the EU-27 countries was the result of a 23.3% increase in receipts from residents of the euro area countries (September 2023: €1,470.6 million, September 2022: €1,192.6 million). euros), as well as receipts from residents of EU-27 countries outside the euro zone by 12.8% to 355.6 million euros. In particular, with regard to the most important countries of origin of travelers from the euro area, receipts from Germany increased by 19.0% and amounted to 619.7 million euros, while those from France decreased by 11.0% to 154, 4 million euros. From countries outside the EU-27, receipts from the United Kingdom rose by 14.2% to €654.5 million, while those from the USA decreased by 22.7% to €177. 7 million euros. Collections from Russia decreased by 88.2% and amounted to 1.3 million euros.
- Inbound travel traffic in September 2023 amounted to 5,141.4 thousand travelers, increased by 12.7% compared to the corresponding month of 2022. In particular, travel traffic through airports increased by 8.6% compared to September of 2022 and this through road border stations by 28.7%. The increase in inbound travel came from a rise in travel from both EU-27 countries by 10.9% and from non-EU-27 countries by 15.7%.
- Travel traffic from the countries of the euro zone was formed at 1,997.9 thousand travelers, increased by 8.6%. Travel traffic from the EU-27 countries outside the euro zone also showed an increase of 15.3%, which amounted to 1,121.4 thousand travelers. In particular, travel traffic from Germany increased by 8.0% to 785.4 thousand travelers, while that from France decreased by 6.4% to 216.6 thousand travelers. In relation to countries outside the EU-27, travel traffic from the United Kingdom increased by 2.5% and amounted to 866.4 thousand travelers, while that from the USA decreased by 9.7% to 170.3 thousand. travelers. Finally, travel traffic from Russia showed an increase of 3.8% and amounted to 4.5 thousand travelers.
