Directory Image
This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Sustained Growth in European Tourism Towards the Summer Peak Season

Author: Sushil Williams
by Sushil Williams
Posted: Jul 19, 2016

European tourism is proving resilient to challenging times. A vast majority of destinations saw a bumper increase in arrivals in the first five months of the year, with 1 in 2 recording double-digit growth.

According to the European Tourism 2016 – Trends & Prospects, top performing destinations are Iceland (+35%), Slovakia (+24%) and Cyprus (+21%). High growth is also reported in Ireland (+17%) and Romania (+16%), while traditional Mediterranean destinations such as Portugal (+14%) and Spain (+13%) are hitting records outside peak seasons. This positive momentum is mainly driven by improving economic conditions, the unrelenting efforts of destinations to increase the number of off-season visitors, and the continued interest for European tourism products from large intraregional and overseas markets. Moreover, Russian demand has shifted as 13 out of 27 reporting destinations saw a sizable rebound from the falls experienced in the same period last year, particularly Cyprus (+53%) and Malta (+28%). On the flip side, Turkey records a 16% decline in foreign arrivals attributable to persistent safety concerns. Recent attacks in Atatürk, the country’s busiest airport, are expected to impact on Turkey’s tourism industry further in the near future.

Outbound flows from the UK – one of Europe’s largest source markets – have contributed significantly to the performance of European tourism in the past decades. The Brexit inevitably sparks tourism fears concerning air fares and the future of border travel. The weaker pound immediately made outbound trips for Britons more expensive, however, it remains to be seen how the Brexit will impact tourism flows across Europe and whether main destinations for this market will feel the pinch in the short-term. Conversely, Europe has now become even more appealing for US citizens with a weaker pound and euro against the dollar.

Tourism in Europe still remains the main driver of growth and a powerful tool for job creation. Tourism authorities should continue working together to safeguard Europe’s leading position as the #1 tourist destination worldwide," said Eduardo Santander, Executive Director, European Travel Commission.

Custom Travel Clubs has partnered with the best in the industry to provide best deals on travels to the members. Our Loyalty program provides the best rewards, benefits and savings to the members. We make it easy for members to save on travel so that they can take the vacations that matter. See the full list of all the travel benefits we provide.

We are the leading B2B membership based travel club fulfillment company that creates, operates and helps market travel clubs for brands and organizations around the world. We provide white label travel club platforms & solutions.

For more info, contact:

Mike Putman

mike@customtravelclubs.comSchedule Meeting

About the Author

Custom Travel Clubs are experts in creating travel membership programs with more than 60 years of experience in travel domain

Rate this Article
Leave a Comment
Author Thumbnail
I Agree:
Comment 
Pictures
Author: Sushil Williams

Sushil Williams

Member since: May 18, 2016
Published articles: 28

Related Articles