International arrivals in Greece rose 18,7 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same quarter last year, indicating growing demand and an extended season.
According to data published this week by INSETE, the research institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Greek airports recorded a total of 1,6 million international arrivals in the January-March period, compared to 253.000 the previous year.
Breaking it down: 485.000 arrivals were reported in January, an increase of 25,3 percent; in February 462.000, an increase of 19,5 percent, and in March 656.000, an increase of 13,8 percent. Athens International Airport welcomed a total of 1 million arrivals in the first quarter (Q2024) of 1,2, an increase of 20,4 percent compared to the same period last year. In second place, Thessaloniki Airport recorded 371.000 international arrivals, an increase of 13,3 percent compared to Q1 2023.
In Crete, Heraklion Airport welcomed 25.000 arriving passengers, an increase of 40,4 percent compared to Q1 2023, and Chania Airport welcomed 9.000 arrivals, an increase of 19,8 percent. In total, Crete recorded 34.000 international arrivals in the first quarter, an increase of 16,5 percent.
Other airports with increases in international arrivals included Rhodes (+72,9 percent to 19.000), Kalamata (+42,5 percent to 3.000) and Corfu (4,1 percent to 8.000). Overall, the Ionian Islands region saw a 4,4 percent decline in arrivals to 8.000 in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, international traffic through Santorini Airport fell by 39,7 percent to 2.000 in the January-March period. The same was true for the Cyclades islands as a whole, where arrivals fell 44,2 percent compared to 2023 to 2.000. The Dodecanese Islands welcomed a total of 20.000 arrivals, an increase of 73,7 percent. On the mainland, international arrivals in the Peloponnese reached 3.000, increasing by 42,5 percent.
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