Greece is experiencing a surge in travel demand from the United States this summer, with scheduled airline seat capacity from the market up by 18.6 percent compared to 2024, reaching approximately 727,000 seats.
The increase underscores the growing importance of the American market, which has become Greece’s third largest in terms of tourism revenue – following Germany and the United Kingdom.
However, recent developments in US trade policy have raised concerns within the tourism sector.
Speaking to Action24 TV, Aris Ikkos, research director at INSETE, the research body of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), pointed to uncertainty stemming from new tariffs that were initially announced – and later suspended for 90 days – by US President Donald Trump.
“Until last week we were optimistic. Now there is uncertainty about both direct and indirect impacts,” Ikkos said, referring to the possible effects on transatlantic travel behavior.
He highlighted the significance of US arrivals in recent years.
“The American market began to open up in 2022, and today we have around 100 direct flights every week. In 2024, 1.3 million Americans visited Greece – a record figure,” he noted. “Of all major source markets, Americans and Australians record the highest per capita spending. That’s because of the long-haul nature of their trips and their tendency to spend more once they arrive.”
Aris Ikkos, research director at INSETE, σpeaking to Action24 TV.
While Ikkos expressed optimism for 2025, he added that not all destinations within Greece would benefit equally.
“The overall positive outlook is not equally reflected across all destinations. Some are favored more than others – usually those that attract higher-spending travelers, such as Athens.”
In parallel with the rise from the US, overall international airline seat capacity to Greece for the summer season is expected to hit 28.2 million seats – an increase of 4.6 percent compared to summer 2024.
According to data from INSETE’s Air Data Tracker, other key markets are also showing strong growth, including France (up 13.9 percent), Poland (9.4 percent), and the United Kingdom (4.4 percent).
As a positive development, President Trump on April 10 announced a 90-day suspension of the planned new tariffs on European Union goods, a move welcomed by Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as a step toward easing transatlantic trade tensions.
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