June 24, 2025

Rhodes: A Detailed Tourism Assessment

A data-driven look at Rhodes’s tourism trends, demand growth, and the factors that make it a stable force in Greek hospitality.

 

Lindos, Rhodes

Executive Summary

This report offers a detailed analysis of tourism trends in Rhodes, Greece, exploring search interest, booking patterns, demand evolution, and digital advertising activity. Drawing on insights from Google search data, booking engine statistics, and advertising performance metrics, it presents a holistic view of the destination’s market dynamics. The key findings include:

  • Total hotel-search demand fell -3.54 % in 2024 versus 2023.
  • Core markets weakened: United Kingdom -7.57 %, Germany -5.18 %, Greece -9.67 %.
  • Ireland led growth with a staggering +32.4 % more interest in Rhodes accommodations.
  • Israel posted +14.4 % demand growth.

Staff performance emerges as the standout strength, with an average score of 9.17, aligning well with Rhodes’ long-standing reputation for Greek hospitality.

Data Sources and Methodology

To conduct this analysis, we utilized data from four key sources:

  • Search Engine Data: 1,622,888 Google queries were analyzed revealing overall interest in Rhodes as a destination, including year-over-year comparisons.
  • Booking Engine Data: Demand and booking trends for over 1133 hotels in Rhodes, segmented by country, request date, and check-in date. On average, 1-5% of search volume translates to actual reservations. This grows inversely proportionally.
  • Reviews: Nearly 188,784 reviews were analyzed – 932613 reviews from 1102 hotels for 2023 and 95,52 reviews from 1133 hotels for 2024.
  • CPC (Cost-Per-Click): Advertising cost and competition trends for Rhodes keywords.

The analysis covers the period from January 2023 to December 2024, offering insights into evolving booking behaviors and visitor preferences.

Google searches for Rhodes 2023 vs 2024

Search interest for hotels in Rhodes remained robust and followed a clear seasonal pattern, aligned with the island’s peak tourism months. However, the 2024 data revealed some key shifts and opportunities.

Compared to 2023, 2024 showed a stronger start in the spring and maintained higher volume across almost all months, especially during May through October. This indicates rising early-season interest and a longer travel window, signaling opportunities for campaigns targeting both spring and autumn travelers.

July 2023 records the highest spike in searches, which could be attributed perhaps to the wildfires that were raging on the island during that time, so visitors might have been searching for information regarding their holidays and the hotels they were staying at or were planning to.

August and September 2024 slightly outperform 2023, revealing a broader window for peak demand — ideal for optimizing availability and staggered pricing strategies.

The top players in Rhodes

Rhodes’ hotel landscape in 2024 was marked by strong competition and clear leaders in search demand. 

For 2024, the top 10 hotels, according to our PRSI, were:

  1. Rodos Palace Hotel
  2. Princess Andriana Resort & Spa – Ultra All-Inclusive
  3. Mitsis Selection Alila
  4. Mitsis Rodos Maris
  5. Mitsis Rodos Village
  6. Lindos Imperial Resort & Spa
  7. Olympic Palace Hotel
  8. Atlantica Imperial Resort – Adults Only
  9. Atlantica Aegean Blue
  10. Amada Colossos Resort
© Rodos Palace Hotel
© Princess Andriana Resort

Rodos Palace Hotel dominated throughout the year, peaking impressively in the summer months, followed by Princess Andriana Resort & Spa – Ultra All-Inclusive and Mitsis Selection Alila, which also saw sharp increases during peak season. Other notable climbers included Mitsis Rodos Village and Mitsis Rodos Maris, which gained momentum in June and July.

 

This dynamic signals a highly competitive environment during key months, especially from May to August, when hotels battle for digital visibility and direct bookings. While summer remains dominant, the data highlights opportunities for hotels to strengthen presence in early and late-season months through focused campaigns and always-on strategies.

Map

Property Count comparison 2023 vs 2024

An interesting fact in our analysis is that the competition (number of hotels in the market of Rhodes) has increased by a small margin meaning that properties now have to compete more to attract bookings, making strong branding and strategic positioning more important than ever.

Accommodation Demand and Request Analysis

Online demand for Rhodes has shown strong seasonality in both 2023 and 2024, following a consistent upward trend that peaks during the summer months — confirming Rhodes’ status as a classic Mediterranean summer destination.

Which month was the “hottest” for Rhodes?

Both the 2023 and 2024 data analysis underline Rhodes’ strong seasonal appeal, demonstrating a clear and significant peak during summer, particularly in August, where the highest demand is registered. In August 2024, demand slightly surpassed that witnessed in 2023, marking it as the most popular month of the two-year comparison and highlighting slightly increased interest year-over-year.

But, when did the visitors start searching for accommodation?

When we analyze the demand over time based on user request dates, we get a clearer view of when people were actively searching for Rhodes — helping us understand intent timing and lead time in trip planning.

The data revealed a distinct and logical pattern:

  • Interest began to build steadily from March and increased through the spring months.
  • Requests peaked in July both years.
  • There’s a sharp decline from August through December, when the tourism season is concluded for the year.

This pattern is consistent with Mediterranean booking behavior, when people start actively searching for accommodation from spring, and requests reach their highest volume in mid-summer as both last-minute and peak season planning collide.

Who travels to Rhodes?

When analyzing Rhodes as a destination, traveler segmentation reveals valuable insights into visitor behavior and potential marketing focus areas.

The majority of travelers to Rhodes are couples, who make up just over half (46.2%) of all guest types. This trend is strongly supported by monthly data, where couple travelers consistently dominate from April through October, peaking in August. These findings suggest a strong appeal for romantic getaways, honeymoons, and adult-focused stays — highlighting an opportunity for boutique hotels, adults-only resorts, and curated couple experiences.

Families form the second largest segment at 31.2%, showing high interest particularly during school holiday months — with a sharp increase in July and August. This clearly aligns with the summer break in major source markets and indicates demand for family-friendly accommodations, kids’ activities, and beach resorts with child-safe features.

Groups of friends (12.2%) and solo travelers (10.1%) represent smaller portions of the traveler mix, but both segments show interesting patterns:

  • Group travel maintains steady visibility throughout the season with a noticeable uptick in August — potentially driven by friend groups taking advantage of summer holidays or bachelor(ette) celebrations.
  • Solo travelers show a modest but consistent presence, with a slight increase in October, which could point to off-season digital nomads, wellness-seekers, or adventure-focused guests.

Where is the interest coming from?

Looking at year-on-year demand (2023 vs 2024), Rhodes showed a modest overall decline in hotel-related searches (-3.3%), but the performance varied significantly by market. While mature markets such as the United Kingdom (-7.5%), Germany (-5.18%), and especially Greece (-9.67%) recorded declines, others demonstrated encouraging growth. Notably, Italy (+14.4%), Israel (+14.4%), and particularly Ireland (+32.4%) all surged ahead, signalling rising awareness and growing intent from these countries. These markets represent clear opportunities for hoteliers and tourism bodies to engage audiences with fresh, destination-led messaging and tailored offers.

Country20242023% TrendRank
All Countries2529326221-3.540
United Kingdom72897886-7.571
Germany33763560-5.182
Greece16781857-9.673
Italy1497130814.44
Israel1394121914.45
France12011267-5.26
Netherlands892962-7.227
Ireland87966332.48
Switzerland729733-0.6259
Austria6866791.0210

Demand appeared in decline at -3.54% overall. Ireland once again defied the trend, recording an impressive +32.4% increase in demand, positioning it as a crucial market for early-season and shoulder period campaigns.

Destination Quality Review from Guest Reviews

Guest reviews offer a reliable window into what travelers appreciate most during their stay — and where there’s room for improvement. For this study 188,784 reviews were analyzed from real guest reviews on booking platforms. When looking at Rhodes, the sentiment is overwhelmingly positive across key hospitality metrics, reinforcing the island’s appeal as a destination known for quality and care.

MetricMinMaxAverage
Cleanliness5.60108.67
Value For Money5.30108.59
Facilities5.20108.34
Free WiFi2.50108.14
Staff6.50109.17
Location5108.71
Comfort5.80108.60

Staff performance emerges as the standout strength, with an average score of 9.17 — the highest among all metrics. The consistency across the year, as seen in the line graph below, shows only minor fluctuations, emphasizing the reliability and warmth of service. This aligns well with Rhodes’ long-standing reputation for Greek hospitality.

Location (avg. 8.71) and cleanliness (8.67) also receive notably high marks, indicating that convenience, proximity to attractions, and well-maintained environments are highly appreciated by guests. 

Metrics like comfort (8.60), value for money (8.59), and facilities (8.34) performed reasonably well but with slightly more fluctuation over time. These are areas where even small upgrades or tailored messaging (e.g. showcasing renovated rooms or highlighting inclusions in pricing) can influence perception positively.

Wi-Fi consistently scores the lowest (8.14 average), with minimal variance throughout the year. While not drastically poor, in a digital-first world, strong connectivity is becoming a baseline expectation. 

Conclusion

Rhodes still draws interest, but UK, German, and domestic demand is slipping. Divert spend toward fast-growing Ireland and Israel before competitors grab that share. Dominate the December-March booking window—CPC spikes show it’s the new battleground. Showcase staff excellence and authentic Greek hospitality in every ad and OTA listing. Patch the Wi-Fi gap and bundle small comfort upgrades to keep ADR firm with couples and families. Nail these moves and you’ll turn 2025’s headwinds into market-share gains.

References

Euronews. "One Day: How a Netflix Series Has Boosted Bookings on the Greek Island of Paros." Euronews, 28 Feb. 2024, https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/02/28/one-day-how-a-netflix-series-has-boosted-bookings-on-the-greek-island-of-paros.