Foreign tourists drove Greece's August 2026 visitor rise to 7.43m

Greece's tourist traffic continued to grow in August 2026, with both arrivals and overnight stays in hotels, campsites and rented rooms higher than in the same month of 2025, according to provisional data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT). Foreign visitors drove most of the increase, and short-stay rentals expanded considerably faster than hotels and campsites.

Key facts

• 7,429,931 total arrivals in August 2026, up 2.6% year on year
• 34,685,695 overnight stays, up 2.1%
• Foreign visitors accounted for 76.7% of arrivals and 84% of overnight stays
• Rented rooms saw arrivals rise 5.2%, against 1.5% for hotels and campsites
• Average length of stay stayed at 4.7 days, unchanged from August 2025

Who drove the growth?

International demand was the main factor. Arrivals of foreign visitors rose by 2.9%, compared with 1.7% for Greek residents, while overnight stays by foreigners increased by 2.3% against 1.2% for Greeks.

The split in total volumes was equally wide: foreign tourists made up 76.7% of all arrivals and 84% of overnight stays, while Greek residents accounted for 23.3% of arrivals and 16% of overnight stays. Arrivals overall grew 0.5 percentage points faster than overnight stays.

Which type of accommodation grew fastest?

Collective short-stay accommodation — that is, rented rooms — recorded the sharpest increases. Arrivals there climbed 5.2%, outpacing the 1.5% rise in hotels and campsites by 3.7 percentage points. Overnight stays in rented rooms grew 4.6%, compared with 1.1% in hotels and campsites.

Within hotels and campsites, foreign arrivals rose 1.9% and Greek arrivals 0.5%, with overnight stays up 1.2% and 0.8% respectively. In rented rooms, foreign arrivals increased 5.5% against 4.2% for Greeks, while overnight stays grew 5.1% for foreigners and 2.2% for Greek residents.

How long did visitors stay?

The average length of stay held steady at 4.7 days, unchanged from August 2025. Foreign tourists stayed an average of 5.1 days, while Greek residents stayed 3.2 days — a gap of 1.9 days.

The pattern was similar across both accommodation categories: in hotels and campsites the averages were 5.1 days for foreign visitors and 3.2 days for Greeks, and in rented rooms 5.2 and 3.3 days respectively.

What this means for travellers

The ELSTAT figures cover August 2026 only and describe where visitors stayed and for how long. They show rented rooms growing faster than hotels and campsites, and foreign visitors staying longer than Greek residents, but they do not introduce any entry requirements, documents or fees for people travelling to Greece.

ELSTAT's figures are provisional. No further data releases or upcoming changes were announced in the report.