UK arrivals to Greece increased by 88.5% in November 2024 compared to the previous year, according to new figures.
Approximately 98,400 British holidaymakers visited Greece last November, up from 52,181 in November 2023. Of these, 38,000 holidaymakers visited Athens, with 33% of UK travellers heading on to visit another destination in Greece, according to figures from Athens Airport.
Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) UK & Ireland Director Eleni Skarveli reported the rise in shoulder season bookings at the Adventure Travel Networking (ATN) Media Meetup event in London last month.
Eleni estimated the split between city breaks and island visits to be roughly 50/50 last November.
She told Travel Gossip: “We believe this increase is a result of our successful strategy to extend the tourism season into the shoulder months. With year-round flights from the UK to Athens, British travellers now have the opportunity to explore new destinations.
“On top of that, the weather in Athens at the end of November was incredibly good – almost like summer.
“We definitely expect more Brits to choose Greece for off-peak holidays, and flights to destinations like Rhodes and Crete are gradually being extended into mid-November.
“However, we expect Athens to remain the top destination for November, although we would love to see Thessaloniki develop into a winter hub, serving as a gateway to lesser-known winter destinations such as Epirus and Volos.”
The GNTO is looking to increase British arrivals in November 2025 by 15%, compared to November 2024, in a bid to promote Greece as a year-round destination.
Eleni added: “We are actively working to position Thessaloniki as both a city break destination and a winter getaway hub by collaborating with airlines to boost off-season connectivity from the UK and promoting Northern Greece’s winter offerings, such as Mount Olympus hiking.”
