Short-term Rentals Topped 1 Million in April 2025

It’s not every day you wake up to a country offering 1,008,000 beds for short-term rental, but here’s Greece, flexing in April 2025 like it’s nothing. That’s 72,000 more beds than April last year – and three months quicker to the milestone, leaving old records in the dust. Even optimistic officials at INSETE barely managed to hide their glee: “Short-term rentals continue to break their own records.” Take a bow, tourism sector.

This is no flash in the pan. The first quarter of 2025 saw numbers jump like caffeine-fueled goats:

• January racked up 947,000 beds, crushing last year’s 845,000;
• February, always the awkward middle child, clocked in at 961,000 (up 84,000 from 2024);
• March? A casual 981,000, leaving last March’s 906,000 looking a bit anemic.

On the supply side, it’s not just beds multiplying – the number of whole properties singing the short-term rental tune stays strong, too. April hit 228,000 accommodations, up 16,000 from last year. Even January saw 213,000 units (up 23,000), February swung to 216,000 (a 20,000 boost), and March clocked 222,000, up 18,000.

So, yes, if you’ve ever dreamed of sleeping in a blue-and-white villa or an apartment above a souvlaki shop, 2025 says: keep dreaming because everyone else is too.

Occupancy Tightens, Even With More to Go Around

If you thought all these new rentals would stay empty, think again. Room bookings held their ground, and occupancy even ticked up. In January, the rate rose to 14%, up from 12% the previous year. February, for some mysterious reason, spiked to 15%, jumping 5 points from 2024. March settled at 17%, almost identical to last spring’s 16%. April? It took it up a notch at 26% complete — up 3 points and a clear win for the “maybe we built too many” crowd.

Here’s what you need to remember:

• There are more beds and more rooms, yet those spaces are filling up at record rates;
• “Short-term rentals continue to break their records,” as INSETE puts it. (“Insert slow clap here.”);
• Occupancy climbed across the board, even as guests had more choices than ever before.

But hang on – it’s not all sunshine and bouzouki. The average stay shrank a bit. In January 2024, travelers stayed for an average of 3.2 nights; by January 2025, they had grown antsy and left after 3.1 nights. February dipped from 3.6 to 3.2, and March dropped to 3.4 from 3.5. At least April offered some stability: the average remained at 3.7 nights, exactly where it was last year.

Oh, and foreign travelers? They’re swarming in. January saw foreign visitors make up 60% of all stays, February 64%, and by March, that number ballooned to 69%. April slammed the door shut to domestic tourists, leaving just 14% local, with a massive 86% coming from abroad.

All This Means: Greece’s Short-term Rental Boom is Out of Control — In a Good Way

Main takeaways:

• Supply grew fast, with one million-plus beds ready by April and more properties than ever;
• Occupancy rates rose from January to April, proving nobody’s had enough feta-fueled holidays yet;
• The average stay is sinking slowly; maybe everyone’s getting a taste of Wanderlust Lite;
• Foreign guests now rule the short-term rental scene, pushing Greeks out of their market;
• All official data points to relentless growth (see for yourself at INSETE).

One thing is clear: short-term rentals in Greece for 2025 are booming, with travelers flocking in and adding space faster than you can say, “Opaa!” If you’re planning a trip, better book now – or fight the crowd for your tzatziki at breakfast.