Greek Tourism Felt the Pinch After Russian Visitors Vanished

Greece’s tourism sector took a noticeable hit from the sudden drop in Russian travelers, but the pain wasn’t spread evenly. According to a report from the Institute of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (INSETE), the northern part of the country suffered the most—especially Thessaloniki and the Halkidiki peninsula. These areas had long relied on Russian tourists to fill hotels and keep local businesses humming.

Why the outsized impact? Russian visitors were big spenders. INSETE noted that in northern Greece, the average Russian tourist spent more per person than travelers from any other country. That made their absence especially hard to absorb. Still, the report pointed out that over time, Greece managed to make up for the lost revenue by attracting more visitors from other European nations. The recovery wasn’t instant, but it did happen.

Looking ahead, the outlook may be less rosy. Maya Kotlyar, a tourism analyst, recently warned that the steady growth in European tourist numbers seen over the past few years is likely to slow down. That could complicate future efforts to fill the gap left by any single market. For now, though, northern Greece is slowly finding its footing again.