Thursday, June 19, 2025
Driven by surging arrivals from Bulgaria, the UK, Italy, France, and Germany, Greece’s tourism sector is experiencing an unprecedented revival that’s poised to reshape its national economy. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), these key markets are fueling a powerful rebound in international spending, helping Greece surpass pre-pandemic benchmarks and placing the country on a trajectory to contribute over fifty-eight billion euros to its GDP by 2035. With more than one million tourism-related jobs expected to be created and the sector projected to account for over twenty-one percent of the national economy, Greece is solidifying its position as a global tourism powerhouse.
Greece’s Booming Tourism Industry Set to Add Over Fifty-Eight Billion Euros to National Economy by 2035
Greece’s travel and tourism sector is rapidly evolving into one of the most powerful engines of national economic growth, with new forecasts from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) painting a promising future for the country. According to the latest data released on Wednesday, the tourism sector is expected to contribute an impressive fifty-eight-point-two billion euros—or approximately sixty-three-point-three billion US dollars—to the Greek economy by 2035. This marks a staggering twenty-six-point-five percent increase in GDP contribution from current levels and positions tourism as a foundational pillar of Greece’s long-term economic strategy.
This year alone, the tourism industry is anticipated to generate forty-eight-point-eight billion euros in revenue, surpassing pre-pandemic 2019 figures by a notable ten-point-four percent. This rebound underscores the resilience of Greece’s tourism industry and the strength of its recovery in the post-COVID era. Despite global economic uncertainties and shifting travel behaviors, Greece’s sector is not only recovering but expanding faster than many of its European peers.
The WTTC projects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of two-point-five percent through 2035, indicating a stable and sustainable growth trajectory. If this momentum continues as expected, tourism’s share of Greece’s total economy will rise to twenty-one-point-seven percent—an extraordinary testament to its economic significance.
One of the most impactful aspects of this growth is job creation. Currently, Greece’s tourism sector provides employment for an estimated eight hundred ninety-seven thousand seven hundred individuals nationwide. Over the next decade, this number is projected to climb to well beyond one million, offering new opportunities for employment and skills development in both urban and rural regions. The expanding workforce highlights the sector’s role not just in revenue generation but in supporting livelihoods and regional development across the country.
Tourism’s contribution extends beyond GDP and employment. The sector plays a central role in boosting public finances. In 2023, tourism-related tax revenue amounted to eighteen-point-five billion US dollars, making up fifteen-point-two percent of total government income. This substantial fiscal input reinforces the importance of tourism as a stable and vital revenue stream for national planning and investment.
A closer look at spending patterns reveals that international travelers continue to be the main drivers of growth. In 2024, foreign visitors accounted for sixty-seven-point-two percent of total tourism expenditure. Among the leading source markets were Germany and the United Kingdom, reaffirming their roles as critical contributors to inbound travel. Bulgaria followed closely with seven percent, while Italy and France each contributed around six percent to total foreign tourist arrivals.
Interestingly, the dominance of leisure tourism remains overwhelmingly strong. Leisure-based travel accounted for ninety-three-point-four percent of total spending, demonstrating the enduring appeal of Greece’s cultural heritage, sun-soaked islands, and Mediterranean lifestyle. Business travel, on the other hand, comprised just six-point-six percent of the overall expenditure, highlighting the country’s current strength in the leisure segment while pointing to potential room for diversification in future tourism strategies.
These trends signal a strong strategic opportunity for Greece. By enhancing infrastructure, diversifying its tourism offerings, and investing in workforce development, the country can reinforce its competitive edge in a global tourism market that is becoming increasingly experience-driven and sustainability-conscious.
Additionally, the WTTC’s insights suggest that Greece is particularly well-positioned to benefit from macro trends such as the rise of digital nomadism, wellness tourism, and eco-conscious travel. These niches are expected to reshape the global tourism landscape in the years to come, and Greece’s varied geography and cultural depth provide a natural advantage for tapping into these emerging segments.
Overall, the WTTC’s outlook confirms that Greece is not only recovering from the pandemic-driven slump but accelerating toward a much stronger, more diversified, and inclusive tourism economy. The sector’s rapid progress and economic impact are clear indicators of its capacity to anchor national growth strategies over the next decade.
Fueled by strong inbound travel from Bulgaria, the UK, Italy, France, and Germany, Greece’s tourism industry is set to generate over fifty-eight billion euros and create more than one million jobs by 2035, according to WTTC projections. This surge positions tourism as a driving force in Greece’s long-term economic transformation.
With sustained investment, smart policy frameworks, and continued collaboration between public and private stakeholders, Greece is set to remain a global tourism powerhouse well beyond 2035.
