- All regular flights connecting Israel and Greece are suspended, except for repatriation flights managed by Israeli airlines.
- Major Israeli travel agencies have cancelled all trips to Greece through June, with bookings for the first week of July also withdrawn.
- Payments made to Greek hotels will be rolled over to future travels, once feasible.
- If the conflict ends soon, losses are estimated at more than €150 million. If it continues through fall, losses could exceed €300 million.
- Plans for increased air capacity and high early-year demand have been disrupted.
Flight Suspensions and Cancelled Arrivals
The ongoing war between Israel and Iran has severely affected Greek tourism, as noted by reporter Ilias Bellos in this Ekathimerini article. The immediate result has been the suspension of all commercial flights between Israel and Greece, except limited repatriation services operated by Israeli carriers. Leading Israeli travel agencies have cancelled all trips to Greece through June and extended these cancellations into July as the conflict continues.
Key Statistics
- In 2024, 621,000 Israelis visited Greece.
- Total overnight stays by Israelis: 3.9 million nights.
- Israeli arrivals constitute 2% of all international visitors.
- Total Israeli tourist spending in Greece: €419 million (2% of overall tourism receipts).
- Average spend per Israeli visitor: €676.
- Average length of stay: 6.3 days.
- Flight capacity from Israel is up 42.3% over the previous year, totalling 1.3 million scheduled seats.
Prepaid reservations at Greek hotels are currently in limbo. These payments may be applied to future bookings once conditions allow or at a later stage within the year. All scheduling depends on the duration of hostilities. According to the optimistic scenario, flights from Israel to Greece could resume gradually from August if the fighting ends soon. If these travel restrictions stay in place throughout summer and into fall, projected losses could climb above €300 million.
As Ilias Bellos of Ekathimerini noted, “This is actually the optimistic scenario, according to which the hostilities will end within the next few weeks and flights and arrivals of Israeli travelers to Greece will gradually resume from August.”
Lost Revenue and Key Destinations
Currently, the most favourable predictions estimate that Greek tourism’s lost revenue from Israeli travellers amounts to a minimum of €150 million. The worst-case scenario estimates losses more than doubling. Israelis are valued visitors due to their longer stays and higher-than-average spending, with preferences for destinations such as Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Athens, and Thessaloniki.
- Revenue loss is estimated at a minimum of €150 million, with the potential to surpass €300 million under prolonged hostilities.
- Israeli tourist arrivals to Greece halted as travel agencies suspended trips through early summer.
- Airlines suspended all direct passenger flights, except repatriation missions.
- Uncertainty over when advance payments will be applied or refunded.
- Some hotels in key Israeli-favoured destinations face sudden occupancy drops.
- High-season expectations were missed due to the conflict.
The year began with strong demand, as scheduled air seats from Israel to Greece rose by 42.3% compared to the start of 2024, reaching 1.3 million seats. The abrupt halt due to conflict has left much of this capacity unused.
The data cited comes from the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE) and the Bank of Greece. The war’s impact on Greek tourism highlights the vulnerability of the travel sector to geopolitical events, as ongoing disruptions continue to affect economic stability and seasonal forecasts.
