“Jumps” in both arrivals and revenues were recorded by Greek tourism in March, the first month after the outbreak of the conflict in the Gulf, demonstrating its resilience and defying the effects of the energy crisis caused by the “closure” of the Strait of Hormuz.

Specifically, travel receipts showed a significant increase of 55.6% in March 2026 and 64.3% in the period January–March 2026, according to data announced today by the Bank of Greece. At the same time, inbound travel traffic increased by 38.1% in March 2026 and by 38.3% in January–March 2026.

The strong performance in March contributed to the impressive results of the first quarter, during which inbound travel traffic increased by 38.3% compared to the same period in 2025, exceeding 3.4 million tourists, while receipts soared by 64.3% reaching €1.7 billion. Average expenditure per trip also increased by nearly 20%, indicating that Greece is now attracting higher-income visitors.

Market analysts noted that these results “overshadow” even 2025, which was the third consecutive record year for Greek tourism, meaning that so far the country is exceeding already very high benchmarks.

The Bank of Greece data also demonstrate the success of a broader strategic transformation of tourism over the past six years, focusing on extending the tourist season beyond the summer months, adding alternative destinations beyond “sun and sea,” and systematically restoring Greece’s image abroad after the pandemic.

Travel balance

According to provisional data from the Bank of Greece, the travel balance in March 2026 showed a surplus of €409.6 million, compared with a surplus of €172.8 million in March 2025.

More specifically, travel receipts in March 2026 increased by 55.6% to €669.4 million, compared with €430.3 million in March 2025, while travel payments rose slightly by 0.9%. The increase in receipts is attributed both to higher inbound travel (+38.1%) and higher average spending per trip (+13.8%). Net receipts from travel services offset 15.8% of the goods deficit and contributed 73.8% of total net service receipts.

In January–March 2026, the travel balance showed a surplus of €928.4 million, compared with €352.6 million in the same period of 2025. Travel receipts increased by €655.9 million (+64.3%) to €1.676 billion, while payments increased by €80.1 million (+12.0%) to €747.7 million. The rise in receipts is due both to increased inbound travel (+38.3%) and higher average expenditure per trip (+19.9%).

Travel receipts (breakdown)

In March 2026, receipts from EU-27 residents increased by 56.6% to €347.8 million, while receipts from non-EU countries rose by 57.9%. Within the euro area, receipts from Germany rose by 16.9%, from France decreased slightly by 0.3%, and from Italy increased by 100.4% to €58.1 million.

From non-euro countries, receipts from the UK rose by 35.5% to €39.9 million, while receipts from the USA increased by 42.8% to €80.0 million.

In January–March 2026, travel receipts recorded an increase of 64.3% compared to the same period of…