European tourism on a roll heading into summer high season
Tourism activity in Europe is following a broadly similar trend through the first two quarters of 2024. Compared to last year, international travel is on the rise across the continent, with international arrivals up 12% and overnight stays up 10% based on reported data for European destinations. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the increases are 6% and 7%, respectively. Southern European destinations are driving tourism growth in Europe and remain consistently popular, driven by favorable weather conditions for the summer season and value for money, which remains a key driver for travelers too.
Year-to-date data from reporting countries shows that across the three key inbound travel indicators (arrivals, nights stayed and spend), the majority of European destinations are reporting increases from 2019 levels. As in the previous quarter, Serbia (+40%), Malta (+37%), Bulgaria (+29%), Portugal (+26%) and Turkey (+22%) recorded the highest growth in international arrivals, while the Baltic States, Lithuania (-15%), Estonia (-16%) and Latvia (-24%) continue to show the opposite trend. It is worth noting that Denmark (+38%), Norway (+18%) and Sweden (+9%) saw significant increases in international nights stayed. Although these countries do not report arrivals data, their sudden rise in popularity is clear. Finally, the highest growth in inbound spending has been seen in Spain (+25%), Greece (+25%), Italy (+20%) and France (+16%), although this is based on a small sample of countries for which data is available.
Tourism operating costs, and therefore consumer travel costs, remain one of the most important themes for the global industry in 2024. Moreover, the attractiveness of value for money in non-traditional destinations, the return of travellers from Asia Pacific and the growing availability of rail travel are all combining to increasingly shape the European tourism landscape.
