Fixed value are Greek destinations in the major European tourism markets for travel abroad. OR Greece it remains, as last year, in the same ranking position of the preferred destinations for Germans and French, in 3rd and 4th place respectively, while in the case of the British it is also among the top 5, and in particular in 5th place, having, however, fallen by two places. These three countries, according to official data from the Bank of Greece, contributed in 2023 42% of the total receipts of incoming tourism in Greece.

These data emerge from his latest study Institute of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (INSETE) with the title: “The Greece brand: How attractive is Greece as a tourist destination?” Comparison with competing Mediterranean destinations”. In this first part of the study, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and also Spain are examined.

The Spanish, who have a smaller share of arrivals and receipts in Greek tourism, rank our country in the 7th place of preferred destinations for the next 12 months, which is logical, since the tourist product of Spain has a lot in common with that of Greece. As more or less expected, the finding that the two most popular destinations in all three major inbound tourism markets for our country are the duo of Spain-Italy, with the ranking changing depending on the market, while for Spaniards the two most popular destinations are Italy and France.

The study is based on research carried out by the GWI company in two waves in the year 2024 and in two waves in the year 2023 with the main topic of visitor preferences regarding possible destinations in the next 12 months, therefore including the summer months which are of key importance for Greek tourism.

Top 5 destinations by market

In more detail by market, the top 5 countries they are considering visiting, the markets under study, abroad in the next 12 months are:

– For Germans: Italy (29.1%), Spain (28.5%), Greece (20.3%), Austria (18.4%), France (17.4%). It should be noted that Italy, France and Austria border Germany and therefore benefit from easy road access.

– For the French: Spain (31.4%), Italy (21.6%), Portugal (16.6%), Greece (12.9%), U.N. Kingdom (11.8%). It should be noted that Italy and Spain border France and therefore benefit from easy road access.

– For the U. Kingdom: Spain (34.1%), Italy (22.2%), France (20.0%), USA (19.8%), Greece (19%).

– For the Spanish: Italy (29.7%), France (23.8%), Portugal (20.6%), U.N. Kingdom (15.0%), USA (11.8%). It should be noted that Portugal and France border Spain and therefore benefit from easy road access.

The earlier INSETE study finding that Greece competes with strong mature destinations is thus confirmed. Additionally, an interesting comparative point regarding the position of Greece and other competing markets in the Mediterranean is the fact that for the markets of France and Spain, Croatia and Turkey are outside the top 10. For the German market, Croatia is in position 6 and Turkey in position 9 while for the British market Turkey is in position 8 and Croatia outside the top 10.

In individual markets, and compared to 2023, Portugal and Croatia moved up one place for the German market in 2024. In contrast, Croatia fell one place for the French market, while Turkey moved up two places. For the UK market, Greece fell two places compared to 2023, while Croatia moved up two places. For the Spanish market, Croatia rose one place, while Turkey fell 8 places.

Ilias Kikilias, general director of INSETE, said: “Despite intense competitive pressures, our country maintains a strong position in travelers’ preferences, proving that our tourism product remains attractive and durable. By strengthening sustainability, maintaining the identity of the destinations and diversifying our tourism product in the light of a long-term strategy, we can further expand our share in international markets, strengthening the value of the “Greece” brand.”