Greece's "Golden October": Why many holidaymakers come in the off-season

Finn and Cara Gallagher are enjoying lunch at one of the sidewalk cafés below the Acropolis in Athens. The sky is slightly cloudy on this October afternoon, the thermometer reads 25 degrees Celsius, and a gentle southerly breeze is blowing. "Perfect weather," say the two vacationers from Galway, Ireland. "It doesn't need any warmer for us," says Cara Gallagher.

The two from Ireland aren't alone. There's hardly a free seat in the restaurants and cafés surrounding the Acropolis. Tourists stream out of the Acropolis metro station toward the city's landmark. Souvenir vendors are doing brisk business, and tour groups are waiting outside the entrance to the Acropolis Museum.

After the record years of 2023 and 2024, Greece's tourism industry is heading for further growth in 2025. Data from the Greek Central Bank this week show this: In the first eight months of the year, the number of holidaymakers was 4.1 percent higher than the previous year. Tourism revenue even rose by 12 percent, from 14.9 to 16.7 billion euros. This means that not only are more people coming, they are also spending more money.

Tourism remains the country's most important growth driver. According to calculations by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), it contributes around one-fifth of the gross domestic product—twice the global average. Greece owes its economic comeback after the severe financial crisis of the 2010s not least to the tourism boom.

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Last year, 36 million foreign tourists traveled to Greece; by 2025, this number could reach almost 38 million. Including the estimated six million cruise ship passengers, the country is expected to welcome around 44 million visitors this year—four times its own population. The crowds at tourist hotspots like Mykonos, Santorini, and Rhodes are correspondingly large—keyword: overtourism.

The trend of increasing numbers of travelers preferring the quieter months of the off-season is all the more welcome. Industry experts also see this as a consequence of climate change: Greece and other Mediterranean regions are increasingly suffering from heat waves, droughts, water shortages, and forest fires during the summer months.

Data from the Greek Central Bank shows that 14 percent more foreign tourists arrived in April of this year than in 2024, and in May the increase was almost 18 percent. While there are no official figures for the fall yet, the number of passenger seats offered by airlines is considered a reliable indicator: According to the Greek Tourism Association (SETE), airlines increased their capacity by 5.5 percent in October.

Tour operators are also increasingly extending their programs into late autumn. Where previously, many places closed their shutters at the beginning of October, hoteliers and innkeepers are now reporting a "golden October." On islands with favorable climates, such as Crete and Rhodes, some hotels are even staying open until the end of November. Meteorologists are forecasting temperatures between 22 and 27 degrees Celsius for Crete in the coming days; Rhodes reported 26 degrees Celsius on Friday.

The growing demand for travel in the off-season is also linked to a changing guest mix. Germans were the largest tourist nation in Greece in the first eight months, closely followed by the British. However, visitors from the USA, Canada, Australia, and Asia are gaining in importance. Athens was served by 103 non-stop flights per week from the USA this summer – up from 46 in 2019. Next year, another US airport, Dallas, will be added.

China and India are also considered promising future markets. Before the coronavirus pandemic, there were three weekly direct connections between China and Athens; now there are twelve.

Starting in January, Indian airline IndiGo will also fly to Athens. Greek airline Aegean Airlines has ordered Airbus A321 XLR long-haul jets to connect Athens with Mumbai and New Delhi starting in spring 2026.

Overseas visitors are particularly attractive to Greece's tourism industry – not only because they spend significantly more money than package holidaymakers from Europe. They are also less interested in traditional beach holidays and more interested in ancient sites, contemporary culture, and scenic experiences – activities that are more suited to the off-season than the hot, crowded summer months.

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