Greece tourism hits record €13.5 billion revenue amid widening deficit

Greece recorded record tourism performance in the first seven months of 2026, with over 20.4 million visitors generating €13.5 billion in revenue, an 8.6% increase in arrivals and a 12% increase in receipts compared to the same period in 2025. While July saw a 3.1% dip in arrivals, travel receipts rose by 7.2% to €4.72 billion, driven by a 10% increase in average expenditure per trip.

Despite these tourism gains, the Bank of Greece reported that the country’s current account deficit widened by approximately €1.5 billion to reach €9.3 billion during the same seven-month period. Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras has identified rising international energy prices as a primary vulnerability, as the cost of energy imports threatens to offset the benefits provided by tourism and goods exports.

Comparisons with Spain highlight a gap in visitor spending; in July, the average expenditure per tourist in Spain was €1,579, whereas in Greece it was approximately €721. While Greece is successfully attracting more revenue from fewer visitors, analysts note that high-spending segments have not yet reached the scale necessary to significantly shift the national market average.