The number of Greek travelers abroad increased by almost 20% in the first 9 months of 2025, compared to the corresponding period of 2024, according to data from Visa.
The data also shows that, in the same period, the total expenditure increased by 20%.
The increase in the number of travelers was stronger in the summer months (June, July, August), when it exceeded 20%, while the total expenditure increased by 25% in the same period.
Within Europe more than 80% of spending
Travelers to Greece seem to prefer destinations within Europe. According to Visa data, more than 80% of total cross-border spending is made within the EEA, while the five destinations most frequently visited by Greeks are: Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Turkey.
In terms of destinations with the largest increase in travelers over the nine months (January – September 2025), Egypt recorded more than 80% growth, while Japan around 70%. It is followed by Albania, United Arab Emirates and Slovenia.
Major categories of expenditure
The data shows that the top five spending categories for Greeks are: restaurants, food and groceries, lodging, clothing and accessories, and retail.
The top five destinations in terms of spending are: Italy, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain.
Spending trends by destination
According to Visa data, differences in consumer behavior are noted in the top five destinations.
In Italy, 20% of total spending is directed to the “clothing and accessories” category, a percentage higher than the average in other countries (12%).
In Germany, spending on food and groceries is almost double the average.
In France, consumers spend 3% more than average on entertainment.
Finally, in the United Kingdom shopping in department stores appears to have increased by 4% compared to the average.
Nikos Petrakis, Country Manager of Visa in Greece, said:
“Each trip should be simple: a tap of the card, a reliable network, everywhere. As Greeks explore more destinations, we invest together with banks and merchants to bring modern capabilities: from tokenized checkout to contactless transactions, at every point of the journey, with payments working silently in the background.