- Greece ceased collecting official statistics on road tourism arrivals as of 2025.
- The main reason is Bulgaria’s entry into the Schengen Zone, ending border checks and data records.
- Nearly half of all international road visitors came through the Bulgaria-Greece border.
- Northern regions that depend on road tourism now face an information blackout.
- In 2024, a notable increase in road arrivals was recorded, with Bulgaria and Turkey leading the way.
- Local governments and tourist businesses have lost a vital data resource
- Only INSETE’s reports remain, with no replacement source in sight
Some call it progress; others might say it’s the statistical equivalent of leaving your headlights off on a foggy night. Starting in January 2025, Greece politely put away its clipboard at the Bulgarian border and waved goodbye not just to travellers but to every last bit of official paperwork, including the arrival date. The culprit? Bulgaria’s smooth promotion into the Schengen Club. No more border checks, which means no more counting cars, buses, or that determined uncle in a packed hatchback.
Before this bureaucratic magic trick, nearly half (let’s call it a generous 40-to-45%) of all road arrivals in Greece came through that northern checkpoint. However, thanks to this new open-border friendship, the mighty chain of traffic statistics has been completely snapped. Local authorities, hoteliers, and tour operators in Northern Greece—those who relied on precise numbers—are now left guessing if next week brings a caravan or a tumbleweed.
2024: The Carnival Before the Curtain Fell
For anyone nostalgic about complex numbers, 2024 served as a grand finale. That year saw 11.9 million international road arrivals, a 14.4% increase of almost 1.5 million over 2023. Bulgaria’s presence towered above the rest, sending an extra 808,000 visitors (up 18.2%) for a total of 5.3 million. Turkey took second place in the growth parade, adding 346,000 roadsides for a 29.4% bump and landing at 1.5 million arrivals. North Macedonia recorded an additional 292,000 (+9.4%), and Albania experienced a more modest increase of 62,000 (+3.6%), resulting in a total of 1.8 million arrivals.
This was a golden age for counting things at borders. Now? There are fewer numbers to toss around at local council meetings. Those tasked with tracking trends, planning marketing, or bragging at international tourism fairs now have little more than intuition and the INSETE’s somewhat orphaned reports.
- In 2024, road tourism arrivals hit 11.9 million, up 14.4% from 2023;
- Of these, Bulgaria sent the largest group, with a significant year-over-year increase;
- Turkey and North Macedonia also contributed to the surge;
- With Bulgaria’s Schengen membership, data collection at the Greek border ended in January 2025;
- Almost half of the country’s road tourism arrivals used these now-untracked northern crossings;
- As of mid-2025, there’s no new official source to replace these statistics.
With no clear replacement for these figures, the message for Greek authorities and businesses is clear: adapt to feeling in the dark, or bring your own set of dice. So travelers, when you cross into Greece by road this summer, you may wear a mask and a cape. Statistically speaking, you’re invisible.
