Developments in the balance of travel services: July 2026
22/09/2026 - Press Releases
- The balance of travel services posted a surplus of €4,314.4 million in July 2026 and of €11,243.1 million in January-July 2026.
- Travel receipts rose by 7.2% in July 2026 and by 12.0% in January-July 2026.
- Inbound traveller flows decreased by 3.1% in July 2026 and increased by 8.6% in January-July 2026.
Balance of travel services
Based on provisional data, the balance of travel services in July 2026 showed a surplus of €4,314.4 million, up from a surplus of €4,074.9 million in July 2025. More specifically, travel receipts increased by 7.2% to €4,722.1 million in July 2026, from €4,406.4 million in July 2025, while travel payments also increased, by 23.0% (July 2026: €407.7 million; July 2025: €331.5 million). The rise in travel receipts stemmed from a 10.0% increase in average expenditure per trip, as inbound traveller flows decreased by 3.1%. Net travel receipts more than offset 137.0% of the goods deficit and contributed 92.8% to total net receipts from services.
In January-July 2026, the balance of travel services showed a surplus of €11,243.1 million, up from a surplus of €10,087.0 million in the same period of 2025. Travel receipts rose by €1,447.6 million, or 12.0%, to €13,518.3 million, while travel payments increased by €291.6 million, or 14.7%, to €2,275.3 million. The rise in travel receipts was driven by both an 8.6% increase in inbound traveller flows and a 2.9% rise in average expenditure per trip. Net travel receipts offset 62.1% of the goods deficit and contributed 90.3% to total net receipts from services.
Travel receipts
In July 2026, as mentioned previously, travel receipts stood at €4,722.1 million, up by 7.2% year on year. In more detail, receipts from residents of the EU27 rose by 0.8% to €2,568.0 million, while receipts from residents of other countries also increased, by 15.5% (July 2026: €1,923.3 million; July 2025: €1,665.2 million). The rise in receipts from within the EU27 reflected a 7.7% increase in receipts from residents of euro area countries (July 2026: €2,106.3 million; July 2025: €1,955.6 million), as receipts from non-euro area EU27 countries declined by 22.2% to €461.7 million.
Specifically, among major euro area countries of origin, receipts from Germany rose by 11.3% to €705.0 million, while receipts from France fell by 30.7% to €209.4 million. Receipts from Italy grew by 32.3% to €358.1 million. Turning to other countries, receipts from the United Kingdom increased by 49.5% to €912.4 million, whereas receipts from the United States remained almost unchanged at €265.9 million.
In January-July 2026, travel receipts totalled €13,518.3 million, up by 12.0% year on year. This development reflects higher receipts from both EU27 residents, by 6.9% to €7,094.3 million, and residents of other countries, by 18.3% to €5,783.2 million. In greater detail, receipts from euro area residents rose by 11.3% to €5,884.1 million and receipts from residents of non‑euro area EU27 countries fell by 10.4% to €1,210.2 million.
Specifically, receipts from Germany decreased by 0.7% to €1,980.9 million, as did receipts from France, by 16.8% to €623.7 million. Receipts from Italy grew by 31.6% to €828.1 million. Turning to other countries, receipts from the United Kingdom increased by 23.3% to €2,091.6 million, as did receipts from the United States, by 7.9% to €1,062.8 million.
Inbound traveller flows
The number of inbound travellers in July 2026 fell by 3.1% year on year to 6,552.3 thousand. Specifically, traveller flows through airports increased by 3.5% year on year, while those through road border-crossing points dropped by 17.8%. The overall decrease was mainly due to lower traveller flows from EU27 countries (down by 7.6%), as traveller flows from other countries rose by 4.4% compared with July 2025. In greater detail, the number of travellers from within the euro area rose by 0.6% to 3,166.1 thousand, whereas the number of travellers from non-euro area EU27 countries fell by 31.3% to 747.6 thousand.
Specifically, the number of travellers from Germany rose by 2.5% to 987.7 thousand, whereas the number of travellers from France dropped by 12.9% to 315.8 thousand. Travellers from Italy increased, by 34.7% to 544.8 thousand. Turning to other countries, the number of travellers from the United Kingdom increased by 16.0% to 901.7 thousand, while the number of travellers from the United States fell by 17.4% to 173.2 thousand.
In January-July 2026, the number of inbound travellers grew by 8.6% to 20,043.3 thousand (January-July 2025: 18,454.9 thousand). Specifically, traveller flows through airports increased by 6.0% and those through road border-crossing points by 17.5%. In the period under review, the number of travellers from within the EU27 rose by 8.6% year on year to 11,561.2 thousand, while travellers from other countries increased by 8.7% to 8,482.1 thousand. The number of travellers from countries within the euro area grew by 13.2%, whereas the number of travellers from non-euro area EU27 countries decreased by 8.8%.
Specifically, the number of travellers from Germany rose by 7.7% to 3,029.5 thousand, whereas the number of travellers from France decreased by 5.1% to 923.2 thousand. Travellers from Italy increased, by 24.6% to 1,272.6 thousand. Turning to other countries, the number of travellers from the United Kingdom grew by 12.3% to 2,581.2 thousand, while the number of travellers from the United States declined by 8.2% to 829.9 thousand.
Note:
Inbound traveller flows exclude cruise passengers other than those recorded in the Border Survey.
Related information:
The next Press Release on “Developments in the balance of travel services” for August 2026 will be published on 22 October 2026, in accordance with the Advance Release Calendar posted on the Bank of Greece website.
Related link:
Detailed and final data on the balance of travel services are published in the Travel services section of the Bank of Greece website.