Americans in Athens, and the British along with the Germans in the regions, are the three nationalities that have significantly boosted Greek tourism this year, with Israelis showing the biggest increase compared to last year.

In 2025, based on official data for the January-September period, international air arrivals have already reached 24 million. This year, however, is expected to be the first in which international arrivals in Greece—only by air and excluding those arriving by road or cruise—will surpass 30 million, with early tourism industry estimates projecting 30.5 million arrivals compared to 29.3 million last year.

The end of the year is expected to be strong, with planned airline seats for November-December showing a double-digit percentage increase compared to the same period last year. Market sources told “business stories” that for the last two months of 2025, the increase in scheduled seats at Greek airports is about 10% or more, focusing on the two big cities, Athens and Thessaloniki, followed by Heraklion in Crete, where airlines are positioning themselves ahead of the new airport being built in Kasteli.

Last year, the number of scheduled international incoming flight seats for the last two months was 2.39 million (1.22 million in November and 1.17 million in December), according to Air Data Tracker from the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE).

Looking ahead to winter, domestic airlines are also ramping up: Aegean has planned about a 9% increase in available seats in Q4 of 2025, either by increasing frequencies on existing routes or adding new ones to reduce seasonality, while SKY express is gradually adding new international routes.

For example, beyond Athens, where Aegean is adding even more alternative destinations such as Luxor and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt (started in October) and Baghdad (starting mid-December), it is also investing in Thessaloniki and Crete. This month, the group launches direct flights Thessaloniki-Istanbul thrice weekly from November 24, and Thessaloniki-Prague twice weekly from November 25. In Crete, Aegean maintains direct flights from Heraklion to Munich, Istanbul, and Tirana during winter 2025-2026, while boosting Thessaloniki-Chania flights from twice to three times weekly.

Similarly, SKY express continues to expand its international network beyond its 33 domestic destinations, having launched on October 24 a new direct Athens-Madrid flight, strengthening its presence in the Iberian Peninsula after recently starting flights to Lisbon. SKY express now serves 27 international destinations, with further new direct flights planned from Athens to Hamburg, Lyon, and Tel Aviv, as well as Thessaloniki to Düsseldorf and Heraklion to Tirana by the end of the year.

Top nationalities for January-September

Which nationalities have boosted Greek tourism this year? Based on official January-September 2025 data from the Civil Aviation Authority, excluding Athens airport, the majority of foreign travelers at regional airports (managed by YPA and Fraport Greece) came from the UK, with nearly 4 million arrivals (+3.7% vs last year), followed by Germans with over 3.33 million arrivals (+6%), and Italians with over 1.3 million arrivals (+5.1%). According to GBR Consulting, working with hotel associations in Athens and Thessaloniki, Israel, with just under half a million arrivals, showed the highest increase in the nine-month period with +32%, while France (878,000 arrivals) and the Czech Republic (463,000) saw slight declines of less than 1%.

By airport, out of 23.8 million international arrivals in the first nine months, the lion’s share went to Athens airport, which recorded 7 million arrivals (+9.6% or +609,000 compared to the same period in 2024), while Thessaloniki “Macedonia” airport recorded 2.1 million arrivals, up 10%.

At the country’s largest airport, Eleftherios Venizelos, the top foreign market in international arrivals is the USA (+9%), followed by the UK (+6%) and Germany (+2%). The top five also include France (+8%) and Italy (+28%). The biggest increase was recorded from Israel with +49%, reflecting the trend that Israelis have increased their presence in Greece amid the geopolitical developments of the past two years, from October 2023 to today.

Regionally, growth continues in all areas for January-September 2025 except the Cyclades: beyond Athens, Crete had the most international arrivals with 5 million passengers (+4.6%), followed by the Dodecanese with 4.1 million (+2.2%) and the Ionian Islands with 3.7 million (+4.7%). The Cyclades, due to losses in Santorini, were the only region with a decrease, recording 1.1 million arrivals, down 77,000 or 6.4% compared to last year.

The case of Heraklion

Heraklion airport stands out due to the increase in flights, supported by the longer summer season (some flights operating until early November this year), and airlines positioning ahead of the new Kasteli airport. Besides domestic airlines, foreign airlines like Lufthansa (new winter routes to Frankfurt from late October), Transavia (connection with Amsterdam), and Cyprus Airways (direct flights to Larnaca starting December) have increased service. In 2025, the top five foreign markets for Heraklion are Germany, the UK, France, Poland, and the Netherlands, with Israel close behind in sixth place.