Greece remains consistently high in 2025 among European travelers’ preferences, according to the new study by the Institute of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (INSETE) on the profile of the most important European markets for Greek tourism. Our country maintains or strengthens its position in critical markets, which confirms the timeless attractiveness of the Greek tourism product.
Specifically, Greece is in 3rd place in the preferences of travelers from Germany and France, moving up two places compared to the previous year. It is also in third place for the Italian market, while maintaining 5th place in the United Kingdom and 6th in Spain. These five markets are of key importance for Greek tourism, as in 2024 they accounted for almost 47% of the country’s total tourism receipts.
The online survey, conducted by GlobalWebIndex (GWI) on a sample of 5,507 people aged 16-64 in January and February 2025, records the intention of Europeans to travel abroad in the next twelve months. Germans, Britons, Spaniards, and Italians appear to be particularly active in terms of travel, with more than 7 in 10 declaring an intention to travel abroad. In contrast, France shows a lower intention (6 in 10), but those traveling from the French market declare a higher frequency of travel.
Upward changes and preference for Greece
The strengthening of Greece’s position in Germany and France is also linked to the decrease in the attractiveness of other destinations, such as Austria and France itself for Germans or Germany for Spaniards. Our country increased its preference rates by 1.8 percentage points in the French market, maintained its position stable in Germany, while showing small decreases in the United Kingdom (-1.5 percentage points) and Spain (-0.5 percentage points).
Stable or increased spending
The findings regarding the planned spending of European tourists are of particular interest. In all markets, approximately one in two declares an intention to spend the same amount as last year, while respondents who intend to spend more exceed those who intend to spend less.
Accommodation costs vary widely, with Germans spending mainly between 86 and 145 euros per night and the French between 56 and 115 euros. The British set the average cost at 88-145 euros, the Spanish at 66-105 euros, and the Italians at 46-85 euros. It is worth noting that in many markets, there is a decrease in the cheapest categories of expenses and an increase in the higher levels, which creates positive expectations for tourism receipts.
Early planning and dominance of “sun and sea”
The survey shows that vacation planning is being done increasingly earlier, especially in the German and UK markets, which may be an opportunity for Greek tourism, especially for the extension of the tourist season.
Sea and sun remain the top choices for Europeans, followed by city breaks, nature trips, and visits to friends and relatives. Hotels or motels remain the most popular form of accommodation, although there are differences by country: in Germany and France, the preference for hotels is slightly decreasing, while in the United Kingdom and Spain, it is increasing.
Accessibility challenges and transport trends
Airplanes remain the main means of transport, with a clear preference for flights of up to three hours, which is disadvantageous for Greece compared to destinations that are also accessible by car or train. Indicatively, markets such as Germany, France, and Italy continue to choose closer destinations. However, the increase in demand for boat or ship travel, especially in the German and British markets, is interesting, a development that may be linked to the strengthening of cruises.
Traveling with partners, family, and new customs
Most Europeans continue to travel with their partner or family, but more Germans are choosing to travel alone. At the same time, a new, small but notable trend is being detected: the rise of pet travel in all markets.
