Leader in the EU

Mass tourism is booming on the Greek islands

Santorini is popular with holidaymakers.

(Bild: AFP)

Across the EU, mass tourism is highest in the southern Aegean in Greece. In the region with islands such as Santorini and Mykonos, there were an average of 110 overnight stays per inhabitant in 2022. On the Ionian Islands such as Corfu, there were 81 overnight stays per person, while the Croatian Adriatic coast had 66.

Many vacation regions in Europe are struggling with the effects of mass tourism. Recently, there have been protests from locals, particularly in the Spanish Balearic Islands, who are concerned about rising prices on the housing market, for example.

In terms of absolute numbers, the Canary Islands are the most visited tourist destination in the European Union (EU), as the Federal Statistical Office in Germany announced on Tuesday on the basis of Eurostat data. Around 89.3 million overnight stays were recorded there in 2022. On average, around 245,000 people stayed overnight on one of the islands per day. It was followed by the Croatian Adriatic coast with just under 85.6 million overnight stays and the greater Paris area, the Ile-de-France region, with around 80.4 million overnight stays. 

Important economic factor
Tourism is an important economic factor for many countries. According to Eurostat data, the hospitality industry accounted for the largest share of gross value added in the EU in 2022 in Greece at 7.1%, followed by Croatia, Portugal and Spain. The EU average was 2.5 percent.