Greek tourism shows regional gains and losses in early 2026

International air arrivals to Greece rose to about 1.54 million in April 2026, slightly below the 1.57 million recorded a year earlier but marking a positive start to the season. Athens Airport remained the main gateway with over 2 million arrivals in the first four months, up 7.1% year‑on‑year, while Thessaloniki recorded 651 000 arrivals, a 3.7% increase.

Crete emerged as the top performer, with Heraklion and Chania airports handling more than 405 000 international arrivals, a 16.8% rise, and Chania alone up nearly 28%. In contrast, several popular islands slipped: Rhodes fell 3.5%, Kos dropped 24.4%, Mykonos 21.7% and Kefalonia 22.8%. The Dodecanese region overall declined 6.6% due to losses in Kos and Rhodes. The Cyclades showed little change, edging up 0.7%, while the Ionian Islands grew 10%, led by Corfu’s 15.4% jump driven by the British market. The report notes that Greece is benefitting short‑term from the Middle‑East conflict, whereas neighbouring Turkey is seeing a downturn.

The mixed picture highlights strong growth in major urban hubs and certain islands, alongside a slowdown in other traditional summer destinations, suggesting the need for targeted marketing and product strategies.