Tourism-related revenues exceeded 23,003 billion euros in the January-November 2025 period driven by an increase in tourist arrivals, according to data released by the Bank of Greece (BoG).

At the same time, the Greek Tourism Ministry’s strategy to extend the season appears to be delivering results with November alone recording a 28% rise in tourism revenue to 726 million euros compared to a year earlier.

More specifically, the number of non-resident arrivals in the 11-month period to November 2025 rose by 4.6% over the same period last year driving travel receipts up by 8.9%.

Arrivals in November increased by 9.7% over the same month a year ago, generating a 27.7% rise in tourism revenue.

Central bank analysts attribute the surplus of the services balance to an improvement in the travel balance. This improvement was partially offset by weaker performance in transport and other services.

Global Tourism Hits Record Levels

Greece’s performance comes amid a record year for global tourism. According to UN Tourism (formerly the World Tourism Organization), an estimated 1.52 billion people traveled internationally in 2025, marking a 4% increase over 2024 and nearly 60 million additional travelers worldwide.

Europe, the world’s largest tourism region, welcomed 793 million international visitors, also up 4% year-on-year. Western Europe led growth at 5%, while Southern Mediterranean Europe, including Greece, posted a solid 3% increase. Central and Eastern Europe rebounded more strongly, rising 6%.

“Demand for travel remained high throughout 2025, despite elevated inflation in tourism services and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty,” said UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Alnuwais. “We expect this positive momentum to continue into 2026 as the global economy remains steady.”

Tourism Spending Remains Robust

Preliminary global estimates indicate that international tourism receipts reached USD 1.9 trillion in 2025, representing a 5% increase compared to 2024.

The world’s top tourism earners last year included the UK and France (both up 9%), followed by Spain (+7%) and Turkey (+6%).

The strongest gains in tourism revenues were recorded by Morocco (+19%), the Republic of Korea (+18%), Egypt (+17%), Mongolia (+15%), and Japan (+14%).