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The growth of urban tourism in our country and the parallel transformation of what used to be holiday resorts located a short distance from Athens and Thessaloniki into high-intensity tourist areas are shown by the analytical data of the distribution of short-term leases in our country. At the same time, the huge spread of short-term rentals, Airbnb typeindicates the emergence of “new” areas, even rural ones, that are significantly different from the classical model.
“K” today presents data on the spatial distribution of short-term leases, which were provided by Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE). All short-term rental properties must be declared to the Authority in order to obtain the famous AMA (Property Registration Number), without which platforms such as Airbnb and Booking must not accept listings. It should be noted that short-term means the lease of up to 59 days at a time, which is mandatory to be declared in a special register at the AADE and to submit a declaration, based on which it is taxed. What do these figures show?
• The year 2025income from short-term rentals was declared for 117,604 properties: most in Attica (25,994), Central Macedonia (17,748), South Aegean (16,100), Crete (12,870) and the Ionian (11,664).
• Due to the increase in short-term rentals in the regional unit of Kavala (Municipalities of Kavala, Pangaiou and Thassos) and in Alexandroupoli, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace approaches the – much more touristically developed – Peloponnese in the number of short-term leases.
• The spread is huge, as in 325 of the 332 municipalities of the country there is at least one property that is rented in this way.
• In 2025in 65 municipalities income from short-term rental was declared in more than 500 properties.
The revenue
OR AADE provided to “K” and financial data on income from short-term rentalsat regional unit level:
• Most revenue for the state they came from the Central Sector of Athens, where an annual income of more than 10,000 euros was declared for 1,722 properties.
• Next is the regional section of Corfuwhere revenues of more than 10,000 euros were declared for 1,554 properties, Chania for 1,282 properties and Halkidiki for 1,281 properties.
“The bans in Athens proved to be insufficient. We estimated that only 5% of the total returned to the long-term lease.” Paris Chartas, Professor Emeritus at Harokopion University
• From island Greeceafter Corfu is followed by the regional unit of Rhodes, with 741 properties that last year generated more than 10,000 euros, the regional unit of Paros with 499 properties and Kefallinia with 469.
“K” quoted the data to two academics with vast experience in tourism matters –to the Paris Charterprofessor emeritus at Harokopion University and Haris Kokkosis, professor emeritus at the University of Thessaly–, to Dimitris Kourkouridisurban planner-planner and researcher at the Department of Spatial Planning and Development Engineering of Aristotle University and at Ari Ikkoscientific director of INSETE (research Institute of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises).
“The issue of short-term rentals is complex,” says Mr. Chartas. “Looking at the data on the dispersion of short-term rentals across the country, I think the conversation would have made sense a decade ago. Now short-term rentals are everywhere and are directly linked to the country’s tourism product. Their presence in destinations that have not yet acquired a “name” is also noteworthy. We had seen this phenomenon in previous decades with the rental rooms and apartments that preceded it, initially attracting domestic tourism and then tour operators. So the data on the dispersion of Airbnb rentals shows us a trend that includes even rural areas that are not close to the sea. In my opinion, it should not be underestimated that short-term rentals seem to be preferred over hotels by professionals, who by business have to travel within the country. This percentage is not insignificant and possibly explains the number of Airbnbs in non-tourist areas, e.g. for Athens, Kallithea or Moschato. Finally, our evidence shows that the “elephant in the room” is the former country houses, which have ceased to be used by the holy Greek family, but their management has turned into tourism entrepreneurship».
The typology
The data shows that metropolitan areas and major tourist destinations have priority. “There is a spatial typology”, estimates Mr. Kourkouridis. “I distinguish four spatial zones. The first is Athens and Thessaloniki, the metropolitan centers. The large number of short-term rentals is related to their establishment as city break destinations, to business trips, possibly to the large number of students. The second is the island international destinations, such as Corfu, Rhodes, Mykonos and Paros. The third category is the coastal zones, especially the former holiday home areas a short distance from the major urban centers. Finally, we see the emerging regional urban centers, such as Alexandroupolis – a surprise in my opinion –, Volos, Kalamata, the city of Heraklion, which are not the main tourist destinations”.
“The top ten municipalities collect 36% of leases, the top 20 about half. So the activity is very spatially concentrated. The “map” of short-term rentals not only records where tourism exists, but reveals how the tourist space is being reshaped. Airbnb does not just function as a tourism hosting tool, but as a factor in the spatial transformation of Greece“, concludes Mr. Kourkouridis.
Opportunities and risks
The proliferation of short-term rentals is a phenomenon with many ramifications. “On the one hand, it gives life to areas that have no other possibilities”, Mr. Kokkosis estimates. “However, at the same time, it creates pressure in areas that did not have the conditions to have significant tourist traffic. I wonder, when a small village has 20-30 Airbnb units, how does the local community manage it? Are there sufficient staff for the cleaning of the properties as well as the public areas? Is there enough water? Is there waste management? These are all issues we are already facing».
However, it is worth noting that there is a large discrepancy between the information provided to “K” by AADE (117,000 properties) and in those collected last year by ELSTAT (207,000 properties, 2024). In some areas the discrepancy is huge: for example, according to the data of the “Inside Airbnb” platform, today in Santorini there are 6,080 short-term rentals (versus 633 of AADE), in Rhodes 5,923 (versus 2,466), in Chania 6,124 (versus 3,012), in Mykonos 4,164 (versus 1,107), in Naxos and the Small Cyclades 3,765 (against 1,490) How is the difference explained? “Given that ELSTAT’s data also refer to accommodations with definitive registration in the short-term rental real estate register, this discrepancy means that almost half of the properties on the AADE register did not declare any tenancies, which undoubtedly raises concerns“, estimates Mr. Ikkos.
The recent zoning framework for tourism refers to short-term leases, foreseeing the possibility (but not the obligation) of stopping them. The government recently announced that it will extend the ban on new leases in Thessaloniki. Whereas last week an appeal was heard at the Supreme Court regarding the “disguised” hotelization of Plaka. “The bans in Athens proved to be insufficient. We estimated that just 5% of the total returned to the long-term lease“, says Mr. Chartas. “It is certain that even in the areas where it is prohibited, new AMAs are still being given through companies that have many properties on short-term lease in other areas. The latest interesting development is the synergies with the hotel industry – e.g. Airbnb customers can have breakfast at a nearby hotel».
