Greece among top travel picks for 2025

source: ekathimerini

Greece ranked fourth, along with Portugal, among the most popular destinations for the summer of 2025, according to a survey by Marriott Bonvoy, the club for members of the multinational hotel chain.

This performance comes in addition to other similar surveys that show Greece very high on the list of travelers’ preferences for the coming season, including that of the European Tourism Commission.

Marriott Bonvoy’s Ticket to Travel 2025 survey was conducted among its members in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Spain came in first place, followed by Italy and France. Greece and Portugal are tied for fourth place, followed by the UK, Germany, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the US.

The same survey also reveals some of the emerging and long-term trends. For example, high-income travelers are opting for luxury accommodation, with 76% of this category saying they always or often choose to stay in five-star accommodation. There is also a significant increase in the number of leisure trips planned by high-income consumers compared to the general public.

For next year, they plan to take nearly 10 trips purely for leisure purposes at home or abroad. When it comes to choosing a place to visit, 80% agree that they are more likely to choose an emerging destination if there is a branded luxury hotel chain or a recognized five-star complex in that location. While the destination is a key factor, the presence of a trusted five-star hotel brand emerges as very important.

Another, lesser-known, category of travel currently emerging as a trend is “back to the roots” trips: Travel made because people feel it is important to know where their family comes from and to understand what their forebears’ lives were like, the survey says.

Other reasons why people choose to travel to explore their heritage include the desire to see where their family lived (27%) and the hope of meeting unknown relatives (17%). This is a trend which is much more popular among younger generations, with 43% of 18-24 year-olds and 45% of 25-34 year-olds having decided to take a trip to explore their family heritage, compared to just 22% of those aged 65 and over.

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