Eurostat: Greek tourism industry shows the highest levels of tourism seasonality in Europe

Despite repeated commitments to extending the tourist season and billions of euros in investments in luxury resorts, city-break destinations, and alternative forms of tourism, Greece continues to exhibit one of the highest levels of tourism seasonality in Europe.

According to Eurostat’s latest data for 2025, 41.6% of all overnight stays in tourist accommodation across the country occurred within just two months—July and August. This places Greece third among European Union member states with the highest degree of seasonality, behind only Croatia (54.5%) and Bulgaria (43.4%).

The findings highlight a longstanding characteristic of the Greek tourism model: the heavy concentration of demand within a limited period of the year. This places significant pressure on infrastructure, increases operating costs for tourism businesses, and reduces the annual efficiency of investments during the remaining months.

Across the European Union, the corresponding average stood at 31.1%, indicating that Greece’s level of seasonality is approximately one-third higher than the EU average.

An even more striking comparison emerges when examining the weakest and strongest months of the year. According to Eurostat, August 2025 recorded 20.5 times more overnight stays in Greece than January. This illustrates the country’s strong dependence on the summer season and helps explain why many tourism businesses continue to operate effectively for only a few months each year.

The picture differs significantly across other European markets. In Malta, for example, only 21.9% of annual overnight stays are concentrated in the two busiest months, while the corresponding figures are 24.0% in Germany and 24.1% in Finland. These countries have succeeded in distributing tourism demand more evenly throughout the year by leveraging urban tourism, conference and convention infrastructure, cultural events, and specialised travel products.

For Greece, the challenge is twofold. On the one hand, investments in luxury resorts, marinas, integrated tourism developments, and high-end infrastructure enhance the value and competitiveness of the country’s tourism offering. On the other hand, the concentration of demand within just two months raises questions about whether these investments are being utilised efficiently on a year-round basis.

The debate has become even more relevant as the European Union now includes seasonality among its harmonised indicators for sustainable tourism. The underlying principle is that a destination should be assessed not only by the number of visitors it attracts, but also by how evenly those visitors are distributed throughout the year.