ELSTAT is the one to take charge of measuring and publishing the country’s road tourism data, after the cessation of the relevant monitoring by INSETE. This development has temporarily left the country without official data for a sector that is a key pillar of Greek tourism, especially for Northern Greece.
The problem is also confirmed by the president of the Halkidiki Hoteliers’ Association, Grigoris Tasios, saying that “this is a serious issue that must be addressed immediately”. He even notes that “ELSTAT is now the one expected to provide the solution”.
On the same wavelength is the president of the Professional Administration of Polychrono, Halkidiki, Asterios Kaiafas, who told TN that “there is no longer any data on road tourism”. As he said, the Federation has requested that visitors be accompanied by agencies with vouchers, so that there is an image of origin. “They come in bulk, we do not know who is entering the country” he said characteristically, noting that in Halkidiki alone, approximately 1.2 million people move daily during the summer season.
The cause of the gap lies in Bulgaria’s full integration into the Schengen Zone from January 1, 2025, which brought about the abolition of border controls and by extension the cessation of data collection at the northern borders. As INSETE has clarified, 40–45% of total road arrivals in the country came from these points, which makes it impossible to continue the time series.
In 2024, road tourism had recorded a strong increase, with 11.9 million international road arrivals compared to 10.4 million in 2023 (+14.4%). The largest increase was recorded by Bulgaria (+18.2%), while flows from Turkey, North Macedonia and Albania were also on the rise.
At this point, it should be emphasized that the lack of official statistical monitoring is not just a formal issue. It concerns the very planning of tourism in Northern Greece, where road tourism remains a driving force for development. ELSTAT is now called upon to develop a reliable measurement mechanism, in order to restore continuity in the data and for the country to once again have a clear picture of a crucial part of its tourism product.
