Tourist arrivals and overnight stays in Greece increased in August 2026 compared with a year earlier, with foreign visitors driving most of the growth. However, performance varied across accommodation types, according to provisional data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
Foreign Visitors Drive Tourism Growth
Greece recorded 7,429,931 arrivals in August, up 2.6% year on year, while overnight stays rose 2.1% to 34,685,695.
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Foreign visitors accounted for 76.7% of arrivals and 84% of overnight stays, highlighting the importance of international demand to the country’s accommodation sector. Greek residents represented the remaining 23.3% of arrivals and 16% of overnight stays.
Arrivals by foreign visitors increased by 2.9%, compared with 1.7% for Greek residents. Overnight stays followed a similar pattern, rising 2.3% among international visitors and 1.2% among domestic travellers.
Rented Rooms Outpace Hotels And Campsites
Rented rooms recorded the strongest growth among the accommodation categories covered by ELSTAT. Arrivals in this segment increased by 5.2%, compared with 1.5% for hotels and campsites.
Overnight stays rose 4.6% in rented rooms, while hotels and campsites recorded growth of 1.1%, indicating stronger momentum in the rented accommodation segment.
International visitors contributed significantly to this performance. In rented rooms, foreign arrivals increased by 5.5%, compared with 4.2% for Greek residents. Overnight stays rose 5.1% among foreign visitors and 2.2% among domestic travellers.
Hotels and campsites also recorded growth in both markets, although at a slower pace. Foreign arrivals increased by 1.9%, while arrivals by Greek residents rose 0.5%. Overnight stays grew by 1.2% and 0.8%, respectively.
Foreign Tourists Stay Longer
The average length of stay remained unchanged at 4.7 days compared with August 2025, but international visitors continued to stay considerably longer than domestic travellers.
Foreign tourists stayed an average of 5.1 days, compared with 3.2 days for Greek residents. The same difference appeared across accommodation types: in hotels and campsites, average stays were 5.1 days for foreign visitors and 3.2 days for Greek residents. In rented rooms, the respective averages were 5.2 and 3.3 days.
Tourism Growth Remains Uneven
August figures point to continued growth in Greece’s tourism sector, with international visitors accounting for the majority of arrivals and overnight stays. Rented rooms outperformed hotels and campsites, while the average length of stay remained stable.
The results highlight the importance of foreign demand and the differing performance of accommodation segments, suggesting that tourism growth in Greece remains positive but uneven.
