Visitor numbers to Europe were slightly below pre-pandemic levels last year, partly due to an increase in visitors to Canada.
In its quarterly report “European Tourism Trends and Prospects” released on February 13, 2024, the European Travel Council states, “Toward the end of 2023, European tourism will continue its strong recovery and face inflationary pressures.” “Despite this, we are close to pre-pandemic levels.” , foreign tourist arrivals are 1.6% below 2019 figures, and overnight stays are also 0.6% below, demonstrating the resilience of travel demand across the continent, with trends expected to continue into 2024. It is expected. ”
Roughly two out of three countries now report full recovery or foreign tourist arrivals and overnight stays within 10% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the report.
Strong intra-European travel is supporting economic recovery. Long-haul flight arrivals are also recovering, but at a slower pace and with wide variations across regions such as Asia-Pacific and North America.
ETC’s report said there was a “significant recovery” from Canada and the United States.
Two-thirds of European destinations reported an increase in arrivals and/or overnight stays from the U.S., and more than half in Canada reported similar results.
Canadians flock to Turkiye, Spain and Portugal
“With strong results in the third quarter, Turkiye now ranks first in terms of growth in Canadian arrivals at 80.4% compared to 2019 levels (up from 58.8% in the previous quarter), with the highest growth rate in Serbia. “The growth rate exceeded that of the previous year,” the report said.
“As is the case in the United States, the rapid expansion of Canadian tourism to Turkiye has led to the obsolescence of the previous visa regime for Canadians.
“Portugal and Spain recorded an increase of more than 50% in the number of Canadian arrivals compared to 2019.According to Skyscanner data, Canadians sought Portugal’s relatively mild climate, leading to a 2023 The number of searches for Lisbon by Canadians increased by 35.0% month-on-month in November, according to Seasonal Climate. The weakest performance continues to be in Central and Eastern Europe, no doubt influenced by the perception that war between Russia and Ukraine is imminent. Germany also stands out for being quite slow to fully recover visitors from Canada. ”
The report also said U.S. and Canadian airlines announced the development of a combined air and rail reservation system for Europe, offering more sustainable travel options when traveling within the region.
“The strong travel demand seen in 2023 will provide a significant boost to the European economy and help improve the balance sheets of tourism companies hit hard by travel restrictions. It will also put pressure on accelerating the sustainable transition of the world,” said Miguel Sanz, President of ETC.
“We are working on developing new indicators to monitor social and environmental factors that will contribute to the development of tourism strategies that measure not only the growth of the industry, but also its impact on the environment, local communities and business. .”
A cost-effective destination in high demand
European travel remained resilient in the final months of 2023, with two-thirds of destinations having fully recovered or recording arrivals and overnight stays within 10% of pre-pandemic levels. reported that it did. Among these, destinations in southern Europe remain the frontrunners, boosted by good weather that continues into the shoulder season. Serbia experienced the largest increase in arrivals (+15%), along with Portugal (+11%), Montenegro (+10%), Turkiye (+9%) and Malta (+8%). These are also popular destinations that include all-inclusive vacations and more affordable travel costs, which is key to attracting value-conscious travelers.
Other countries also achieved significant recoveries compared to 2019. In Iceland, the number of arrivals increased by 12% even during the volcanic eruption, while in the Netherlands, although the increase in the number of arrivals was smaller at 2%, the number of overnight stays of tourists increased by 16%, and the length of stay increased. indicates that it has become longer.
In contrast, Eastern European destinations bordering Russia have been slower to recover, with countries such as Lithuania (-32%), Latvia (-29%), Estonia (-27%) and Finland (-24%) I’m behind.
Tourism is resilient despite economic inflation
Both arrivals and overnight stays are recovering across Europe, against a backdrop of inflation that is affecting both industry and tourists alike. Inflation in the fourth quarter of 2023 jumped by 23% compared to 2019 levels, particularly in tourism, including international flights (+49%), package holidays (+47%) and hotel prices (+35%). There was a noticeable increase in related costs. . These soaring prices are putting pressure on household budgets, but this is not deterring the majority of people who want to travel.
In the second half of 2023, price pressure on tourism-related expenses eased slightly compared to the previous quarter, but remained significantly elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Uneven recovery over long distances to Europe
Chinese tourists accounted for 13% of long-haul arrivals to Europe in 2019, and the return of Chinese tourists has been slow but steady since China’s economy reopened. Chinese arrivals in 2023 will be 67% below pre-pandemic levels, compared to an average of 22% for all other long-haul source markets.
Apart from capacity bottlenecks, Chinese travelers have continued to be risk-averse over the past year, leaning more toward domestic travel. European destinations can expect further recovery from this market in 2024, which is predicted to reach a level 39% below 2019 figures. It is also expected that generational change and the influence of social media will increasingly reshape Chinese travel preferences, driving a shift towards luxury and more authentic experiences.
