Athens tourism boom drives year‑round economic surge

Athens has shifted from a seasonal summer destination to a year‑round tourism hub. In 2025 the city's international airport handled a record 34 million passengers, a 6.7 % rise over 2024, with international traffic up 8.6 % and domestic traffic up 2.2 %. The first months of 2026 continued the uptrend, with passenger growth of 8.6 % in January and 13.2 % in February.

Hotel capacity expanded by 10.5 % over the past decade, rising from 648 hotels and 31,392 rooms in 2015 to 716 hotels and 36,016 rooms in 2025, adding 11,477 new beds. Short‑term rentals also grew sharply; by 2025 there were 25,994 active short‑term accommodation units in the Attica region, of which 14,622 were located in the municipality of Athens. This expansion supports thousands of jobs in hospitality, retail, transportation and related services, turning tourism into a continuous economic engine for the capital.