Santorini Faces Sharp Decline Yet Thessaloniki Athens And Regional Airports Like Kalamata And Corfu Drive Growth Proving Autumn Now Extends The Greek Summer Tourism Season

Published on September 6, 2025

Autumn is nary longer nan quiet enarthrosis play successful Greece, arsenic September and October now pull astir thirteen cardinal travelers, turning what was erstwhile a three-month highest into a five-month tourism wave. Thessaloniki is starring nan maturation pinch double-digit increases successful hose seats and world arrivals, Athens continues to emergence steadily, and smaller airports specified arsenic Aktio, Samos, and Kalamata are drafting much visitors than ever, spreading request beyond nan superior and nan accepted land hotspots. While Santorini faces steep declines and Mykonos shows signs of stabilization, wide Greece is connected way for a grounds thirty-seven cardinal arrivals this year, supported by higher per capita spending that reinforces nan spot of this extended precocious season.

Thessaloniki Leads nan Growth

Thessaloniki is quickly transforming into 1 of Greece’s astir move recreation destinations, emerging arsenic nan fastest-growing airdrome hub successful nan country. In nan astir caller two-month period, nan metropolis recorded a singular summation of astir 12 percent successful scheduled hose seats. This surge builds connected an already beardown commencement to nan year, wherever world arrivals roseate by much than 9 percent during nan January-to-July period. For a metropolis that combines historical landmarks, a vibrant taste scene, and expanding municipality infrastructure, this emergence successful connectivity reflects its increasing position connected nan world tourism map. Airlines look to beryllium responding to steadily expanding request from some European travelers and long-haul visitors who are seeking alternatives beyond nan capital.

Athens Maintains Strong Momentum

Athens International Airport, nan busiest successful nan country, continues to play a cardinal domiciled successful Greece’s tourism surge. In caller months, it registered a six percent emergence successful disposable hose capacity, pursuing a beardown nine-and-a-half percent summation during nan first 7 months of nan year. This sustained momentum reflects Athens’ dual identity: a bustling hub for world transfers and a destination successful its ain right. The metropolis has progressively drawn visitors not only for its humanities and taste entreaty but besides arsenic a gateway to nan islands and location areas. With airlines adding routes and frequencies, Athens remains nan backbone of Greece’s expanding aviation network.

Regional Hotspots Record Impressive Growth

The country’s location airports are besides enjoying beardown performance, highlighting nan wide entreaty of Greece’s tourism offer. Heraklion connected Crete posted maturation of much than 5 percent, confirming its enduring fame arsenic a Mediterranean vacation hotspot. Corfu, pinch its unsocial blend of Venetian practice and land charm, climbed by almost 9 percent. Chania saw a emergence of astir 5 percent, Kos posted maturation adjacent to 4 percent, and Kalamata recorded an awesome double-digit summation of much than 10 percent. These figures show that request is not concentrated successful a azygous location but is spreading crossed Greece’s divers portfolio of destinations.

Smaller Airports Help Spread Tourism

A peculiarly encouraging inclination is nan beardown capacity of smaller airports that service little saturated destinations. Aktio, located connected nan occidental coast, knowledgeable a surge of much than 15 percent, while Samos registered an summation of complete 8 percent. These gains show that travelers are progressively looking beyond nan accepted hotspots, opting for quieter, little crowded destinations. This displacement helps execute a much balanced geographic distribution of arrivals, which tin relieve unit connected heavy visited islands while spreading nan economical benefits of tourism much evenly crossed nan country.

Santorini and Mykonos Face Declines

While astir of Greece is thriving, not each islands are sharing successful nan growth. Santorini remains a notable exception, suffering a steep diminution of much than sixteen percent successful scheduled seats for nan caller two-month period. This driblet continues nan antagonistic shape recorded earlier successful nan year, erstwhile nan land saw a autumn of astir 15 percent. Industry observers propose that precocious levels of congestion, rising accommodation costs, and visitant fatigue whitethorn beryllium contributing to Santorini’s slowdown.

Mykonos, meanwhile, is facing a marginal simplification of little than 1 percent successful disposable seats. Although not arsenic melodramatic arsenic Santorini, this flimsy diminution suggests that nan island’s fame whitethorn beryllium stabilizing aft years of relentless growth. For some islands, nan inclination highlights nan value of managing capacity and maintaining visitant restitution successful destinations that are often described arsenic “over-touristed.”

Forecast for September and October

Looking ahead, nan outlook for Greek tourism remains very promising. The airdata locator estimates that adjacent to thirteen cardinal travelers will get successful Greece during September and October alone. This would spot nan state firmly connected way for an yearly full of betwixt thirty-seven and thirty-seven and a half cardinal arrivals. That fig is comfortably higher than nan thirty-six cardinal recorded past year, confirming that request continues to turn contempt economical headwinds and title from different Mediterranean destinations.

Rising Spending Adds Optimism

Beyond visitant numbers, traveler spending is besides providing reasons for optimism. In nan first half of nan year, per capita expenditure roseate to much than six 100 and 20 euros, representing an summation of conscionable complete 10 percent compared pinch nan aforesaid play a twelvemonth earlier. This boost successful spending supports nan outlook for unchangeable aliases rising tourism revenues, moreover if immoderate destinations acquisition uneven demand. For section economies, this intends not only much visitors but besides higher worth per traveler, which is basal for semipermanent sustainability.

A Longer Tourism Season

Autumn is now extending nan Greek summer, pinch Thessaloniki, Athens, and location airports driving grounds maturation that pushes nan play into September and October, mounting Greece connected people for astir thirty-seven cardinal arrivals this year.

Perhaps nan astir striking conclusion from these figures is nan hold of Greece’s accepted summertime season. What was erstwhile constricted to nan 3 halfway months of June, July, and August has now expanded into September and October. Effectively, Greece now enjoys a 4th and moreover 5th period of highest tourism activity. The acceleration successful visitant arrivals, mixed pinch dependable hose maturation and accrued traveler spending, signals that Greece has entered a caller shape wherever its tourism manufacture is nary longer purely seasonal but is shifting toward a much prolonged rhythm of precocious demand.