Greek Road Tourism Booms, Eyeing Record 2024

Road tourism in Greece is surging, with significant growth observed at most of the country’s entry points since the beginning of the year. Although the number of vehicles arriving is still lower than those coming by air, road tourism is rapidly becoming a key contributor to the nation’s travel revenue, paving the way for what could be a record-breaking year for Greek tourism in 2024.

According to the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), Greece recorded 4 million international road arrivals between Jan. and June 2024, a notable 13.7% increase compared to 3.5 million during the same period in 2023.

This rise in Road tourism in Greece was seen at almost all border stations, except for Krystallopigi, which experienced a 17.0% decline in traffic.

The Kipoi (Kipi) border station recorded the highest absolute increase, with 457,000 arrivals, an increase of 115,000 or 33.5%. Kiprinos station posted the most significant percentage increase, with arrivals soaring by 136.1% to 81,000.

Evzoni station recorded the highest overall number of road arrivals, reaching 926,000, up by 103,000 compared to the previous year. However, road arrivals from Albania declined by 3.9%, totaling 706,000.

In contrast, road arrivals from Bulgaria increased by 16.7%, reaching 1.5 million, while those from Turkey rose by 40.6%, totaling 564,000.

Meanwhile, arrivals from North Macedonia grew by 12.2% to reach 1.2 million.

In summary, road tourism in Greece is on the rise, driven by notable increases in arrivals from several neighboring countries, particularly Bulgaria, Turkey, and North Macedonia.