US tourist numbers increasing rapidly
Data show more than 1.4 million arrivals from the States in 2023, up over 10% in a year
US travelers are proving the fastest growing national group of tourists. Not only are they increasing at rates of more than 10% per year, but the average per capita expenditure per trip is at least 50% higher than any other nationality.
The significantly improved overall image of Greece in the US in recent years, combined with the increased interest of Americans in sea travel, but also in countries with strong cultural interest and antiquities, have contributed significantly to their arrival in the country. In addition, the rapid and successful opening of Greek destinations during the pandemic, already in 2020, strengthened the image of the Greek tourism product and the reliability of services in general.
These conclusions are pointed out by sources at the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), who add that based on recent surveys of consumer behavior in the USA (GWI – INSETE Intelligence), 52% of respondents expressed an increased interest in other cultures, while 62% seek sun and sea holidays in high-quality resorts.
In this context, 2023 saw a new historic record of arrivals from the US, while Greece has entered the top five Mediterranean destinations of interest to Americans. These are, in hierarchical order, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia. More broadly, however, Greece is only in 19th place (2022 data) in relation to the destinations that Americans mainly choose for their vacations.
The Greek tourism product can now more easily meet the higher demands of American travelers, but also of the upper income classes internationally, as shown by the increase in 4- and 5-star hotels and the increase in large foreign brand-name management chains in Greece.
Bank of Greece data for 2023 show that travel traffic from the US increased by 29.2% compared to 2022, to 1.406 million travelers. This is a new historical record, the previous one having been recorded in 2019, with 1.178 million arrivals. Travel receipts from the US increased by 14% compared to 2022’s 1.367 billion euros.
