Greece is shattering tourism records, even in its off-season.
From January to March 2024, typically the nation’s slowest time for tourism, Greece experienced a 24.5% spike in international arrivals versus the same time last year, according to the Bank of Greece. Overall, Greece welcomed 32.7 million visitors, its most ever, swelling to 120% of its pre-pandemic levels and outpacing the rest of the continent. The United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) expects the rest of Europe to just catch up to 2019 levels sometime later this year.
To accommodate the surge in interest, new attractions and ambitious projects are set to redefine local tourism. There are plenty of new options already set to welcome travelers this year.
Greece’s Largest Palace Reopens
In January, the palace where Alexander the Great was crowned king reopened to the public after 16 years and a restoration to the tune of $22 million. About an hour’s drive from Thessaloniki, The Palace of Aigai now showcases 15,000 square feet of stunning ancient mosaics, marble floors, and columns.
The restored palace — three times the size of Parthenon — captures the beauty of Ancient Greece and serves as a bridge between the present and an age of antiquities.
Exciting New Projects on the Horizon
Slated for completion in 2025, the government is converting the abandoned Ellinikon International Airport into the world’s largest coastal park. The Ellinikon will now host be a 600-acre green space lined with homes, shops, and hotels, including a Rosewood Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino by 2027.
With so many new visitors, the government plans to open a new international airport in Crete in 2027. The new Kastelli International Airport will welcome 18 million passengers to Heraklion, Crete. That’s 10 million more than the current airport. The design shows that the 19-gate airport plans to feature its own energy production and management systems to reduce its CO2 footprint.
Greece’s New Must-Visit New Hotels
Greece’s hospitality scene is buzzing with the opening of several highly anticipated new hotels. On one of Athens’ closest islands, the One&Only Kéa Island opened in May with 63 villas and a rare Guerlain spa. Near Mount Olympus, the all-inclusive Zoëtry Halkidiki Resort & Spa features a glass-sided panoramic lift with sea views and beach access. In March, the boho-chic Quattro Suites opened near the walled city of Monemvasia in the mountainous Peloponnese.
Domes Oramma brought its top-notch amenities and services to Santorini’s cliffy caldera views this May. New hotel brand Gundari recently opened the first five-star property ever on Folegandros. Michelin-starred chef Ettore Botrini helms the kitchen for guests staying in their 27 villas and suites.
In the southernmost Ionian Sea, the adults-only King Jason, featuring relaxing overwater bungalows, opened on Zante in June. This spring, the family-friendly Amalia on Paxos, an upscale island covered in olive groves, joined Greece’s renowned CV Villas’ portfolio. In May, the adults-only Cali Resort opened with stunning views of Coral Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in Cyprus.
The Future of Greek Cruising
The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) reported a 34.7% increase in cruise visitors between 2022 and 2023, a 34% increase over 2019. Seven million passengers visited, disembarking from 5,230 cruise ships. That’s nearly twice the 4.38 million passengers who visited from cruise ships in 2022. By comparison, 3899 ships brought 5.5 million travelers in 2019.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made headlines in a recent interview with Bloomberg News when he announced his intention to limit visits from large cruise ships as early as 2025.
While the government has yet to act as of summer 2024, only five of Greece’s hundreds of ports are big enough for commercial cruise liners, including Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Santorini, and Heraklion. Hundreds of smaller ports would still be able to welcome seafaring travelers aboard smaller vessels. In fact, small cruises are growing in popularity.
Winstar has long been a favorite, taking passengers to smaller ports such as Monemvasia, a peninsula on the mainland lined with cobblestone streets. In 2023, it also launched a new stop in Naxos, a lesser-known, smaller island near Santorini and Mykonos.
This year, Intrepid Travel began offering an 8-day Greece Sailing Adventure from Corfu to Kefalonia. Aboard an eight-person yacht, travelers can explore private Ionian islands and learn to sail from local expert mariners.
Easy and Affordable Flights to Greece
Flying to Greece is getting easier and cheaper. This summer, Norse Atlantic Airways began operating four weekly flights between Athens and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. One-way fares on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner start at $239 for economy and $599 for premium class.
Low-coast British airline Jet2.com expanded its Greece program in 2024 with seven new routes from the U.K.
Responding to Natural Disasters: A New Tax
Recently, Greece faced historic natural disasters. Deadly floods hit Crete in October 2022 and central Greece in September 2023. Wildfires disrupted travel plans in the summer of 2023. The U.S. government issued a Natural Disaster Alert for Greece in August 2023, which is still in effect. In 2024, the Acropolis closed to visitors in the middle of the day due to dangerous heat.
To address recent natural disasters, Greece replaced an old hotel tax with a new “climate crisis resilience fee” to fund environmental and cultural preservation.
The new tax ranges from €0.50 ($0.55) – €10 ($10.93) per room per night according to lodging and season. Greece follows Venice, the Galapagos Islands, Palau, and New Zealand, which have all introduced tourist fees to combat overtourism.
Trending: Off-Season in Greece
Travelers, in turn, appear to be adjusting their own vacationing habits around the changing climate, heading to Greece in the winter and early spring months, when its main attractions are set in the comfortable upper 50s Fahrenheit rather than during the much warmer summers.
