- The Greek travel balance of payments generated a massive €409.6 million surplus in March 2026, pushing the total first-quarter (Jan–Mar) surplus to €928.4 million.
- Tourism receipts skyrocketed by 55.6% in March and surged by 64.3% across the entire first quarter.
- Inbound traveler traffic jumped by over 38% for both March and the combined three-month period, driven significantly by a massive 84% explosion in road border arrivals.
- Net travel receipts successfully offset 15.8% of Greece’s national goods deficit in March, contributing a vital 73.8% to total net services revenue.
According to provisional data released by the Bank of Greece, the country’s tourism sector has achieved a remarkable start to the 2026 season. The figures reveal an extraordinary acceleration in early-season travel metrics, comfortably outpacing the performance of the first quarter of 2025 across all primary revenue and traffic indicators.
The March 2026 Balance Sheet
The travel balance of payments for March 2026 concluded with a surplus of €409.6 million, more than doubling the €172.8 million surplus recorded in March 2025.
- Travel Receipts: Total tourism revenue reached €669.4 million, marking a 55.6% increase compared to March 2025 (€430.3 million). This growth was driven by a 38.1% rise in inbound arrivals combined with a 13.8% increase in the average expenditure per journey.
- Travel Payments: Outbound travel spending by Greek residents rose marginally by 0.9%, totaling €259.8 million compared to €257.5 million the previous year.
The First Quarter Performance (January–March 2026)
For the collective three-month period, the total travel surplus reached €928.4 million, up sharply from the €352.6 million recorded during the same months in 2025.
- Total Receipts: Revenue grew by €655.9 million (64.3%) to reach €1,676.1 million. The quarterly boom relies on a 38.3% increase in total inbound traffic and a substantial 19.9% leap in average tourist spending per trip.
- Total Payments: Outbound expenditures by domestic residents grew by 12.0%, reaching €747.7 million.
- Macroeconomic Impact: On a broader national scale, first-quarter net travel services offset 11.4% of the overall goods trade deficit and accounted for 77.2% of Greece’s total net service receipts.
Dissecting the Cash Flows: Country of Origin Analysis
March 2026 Revenue Sources
Total revenue from European Union residents grew by 56.6% to €347.8 million, while receipts from non-EU nations expanded by 57.9% to reach €307.9 million (up from €195.0 million in March 2025).
Within the Eurozone, receipts increased by 59.5% (€301.3 million), while non-Eurozone EU countries brought in €46.4 million (a 40.1% increase).
- Germany: Receipts increased by 16.9% to €55.9 million.
- Italy: Receipts experienced a staggering 100.4% surge, jumping to €58.1 million.
- United Kingdom: Non-EU receipts climbed 35.5% to €39.9 million.
- United States: Revenue increased by 42.8% to reach €80.0 million.
- France: Conversely, French revenue dipped slightly by 0.3%, ending at €15.8 million.
First Quarter (Jan–Mar 2026) Cumulative Revenue
The €1,676.1 million generated in Q1 was divided equally between EU residents (€825.2 million, up 66.4%) and non-EU travelers (€824.2 million, up 65.2%). Eurozone collections reached €709.3 million (+64.6%), while non-Eurozone EU spending hit €116.0 million (+78.0%).
- United Kingdom: Led individual non-EU country spending at €213.3 million.
- United States: Contributed €172.5 million, marking a modest 6.0% rise.
- Germany: Generated €122.5 million, an increase of 6.6%.
- Italy: Brought in €113.8 million, growing by 66.5%.
- France: Showed a strong quarterly recovery, growing by 39.1% to €45.2 million.
Inbound Traffic Influx and Border Breakdown
March 2026 Inbound Travel
Total arrivals for March reached 1,272.2 thousand travelers, a 38.1% increase over March 2025. Airport arrivals maintained steady growth at 18.5%, but the real surge occurred at land borders, where road-based tourist entries exploded by 85.0%.
EU arrivals climbed 55.5% (Eurozone traffic accounted for 555.2 thousand travelers, up 56.0%, and non-Eurozone EU traffic stood at 124.5 thousand, up 53.2%). Non-EU arrivals grew by 22.3%.
- Germany: Up 47.7% to 123.0 thousand travelers.
- United Kingdom: Up 36.9% to 85.8 thousand travelers.
- Italy: Up 62.0% to 75.9 thousand travelers.
- France: Up 3.1% to 22.6 thousand travelers.
- The United States experienced a decline, dropping 6.8% down to 74.5 thousand arrivals.
First Quarter (Jan–Mar 2026) Cumulative Traffic
Total inbound arrivals for the first three months reached 3,401.7 thousand travelers, compared to 2,459.0 thousand in Q1 2025. Airport traffic saw an 18.8% increase, while road border entries sustained their massive growth trajectory at 84.3%.
Total EU arrivals hit 1,785.9 thousand (+51.5%), with Eurozone traffic rising by 43.9% and non-Eurozone EU countries surging by 94.4%. Total arrivals from non-EU regions climbed by 26.2% to 1,615.8 thousand.
- Germany: 297.3 thousand travelers (+21.6%).
- United Kingdom: 250.0 thousand travelers (+49.3%).
- United States: 172.5 thousand travelers (declining by 8.6%).
- Italy: 159.6 thousand travelers (+25.0%).
- France: 77.4 thousand travelers (+27.6%).
