Μake us preferred on Google Greece posted strong international tourism figures in the second quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat data on overnight stays.
International visitors recorded 43.8 million overnight stays in Greece in the second quarter, placing the country among Europe’s leading destinations. Together with Spain (91.7 million) and Italy (91.1 million), Greece was one of three countries accounting for more than half of all international overnight stays across the European Union during that period.
For the first half of 2026, Greece recorded 43.3 million international overnight stays, up 1.7% from the first half of 2025. That put it behind Spain, with 145 million overnight stays, Italy with 130 million, France with 61 million and Austria with 47 million. According to Eurostat’s data, Greece’s 1.7% increase in overnight stays at tourist accommodations in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
Foreign visitors — both from within the EU and from outside it — accounted for nearly half (48.9%) of total overnight stays across the EU in the first half of 2026, though the figure varied widely between member states. The highest shares of overnight stays by foreign visitors were recorded in Malta (95.2%), Cyprus (92.6%) and Luxembourg (87.7%).
