An increase of 4.1% is foreseen by the European Tourism Commission (ETC) for incoming tourism in Europe in 2017, with prospects for further growth of 4% in 2018.
According to ETC’s research for Q2 2017, early indicators point at another year of rapid growth for European tourism destinations, according to
Although results are not yet indicative of the full-year performance, they are in line with the healthy trajectory seen earlier this year. Tourism demand from intra-regional markets remains crucial for future growth. However, perceptions of safety and security across Europe will continue to drive displaced travel and is likely to slow the rate of expansion in the region.
In the Mediterranean, estimates for 2017 refer to an increase of 4.5% in 2017 and 4.6% in 2018, compared with an increase of only 1.2% in 2016 due to instability in the region. The average in Europe for inbound tourism is 4.1% in 2017 and 4% in 2018.
Significant increases are recorded in most destinations as 28 of the 30 European destinations have seen an increase in international visitors, with almost one in 2 having achieved a two-digit rate.
As a result of the tourist performance of the countries of Europe since the beginning of the year, Iceland (+ 56%) has the largest annual growth since its tourism does not show signs of slowing down.
Montenegro (+ 25%), Malta(+ 23%) and Cyprus (+ 18%) also showed significant increases. Since these destinations are highly reliable in terms of high season demand, their growth outside this period shows their success in reducing seasonality.
Finland (+18%) and Bulgaria (+ 17%) also had strong growth while rising arrivals from China strengthened the Scandinavian countries and Bulgaria appears as an alternative cheap destination to traditional winter resorts.
Portugal, Serbia and Croatia (+ 15% each) show a good track record thanks to major promotions and improved air links. Turkey (-8%) continued to face security challenges, which further reduced arrivals.
Regarding the occupancy of European hotels (based on data up to May 2017), the report indicates the following key results:
-RevPAR increase by 3.9%
-Occupancy expansion by 3.4%
-Average Daily Rate (ADR) rise by 0.5%.
Read full ETC report here.
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