Greece saw an 8% rise in arrivals during the first 4-months period of 2019, according to data released by the European Travel Commission (ETC).

Despite a slowdown in the US economy, Greece had an increase in arrivals of 47%, Turkey 37%, and Cyprus 33%.

The ETC report estimated that travel to Europe would experience an upward trend despite the uncertainty in the China-US relations and the slowdown in China’s demand.

In the first four months, the largest increases in arrivals were in the Balkans, with Montenegro registering a 50% rise, while Slovenia and Greece followed with +8%.

In contrast, Iceland (-11%), Romania (-7%) and Estonia (-2%) saw a drop until April.
The USA and China continued to be major sources of European tourism growth, accounting for 11% and 4%, respectively.
Chinese tourists were concentrated mainly in southern and Mediterranean Europe, including Montenegro (+ 150%), Cyprus (+ 62%) and Croatia (+ 44%), while Lithuania had a 77% increase in Chinese arrivals.