Europe expects a record-breaking summer, as inbound tourism is projected to surpass previous records.
Central and Eastern Europe are leading the recovery in terms of growth in inbound tourism.
This summer, inbound tourism is predicted to surpass all previous records in Europe, mostly because of the UEFA 2024 in Germany and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in France.
International arrivals to Europe in general are up +12% over the global average (+11%) in July and August of this year, according to a recent analysis from ForwardKeys.
This growth is driven primarily by intra-regional travel—up +10 per cent compared to 2023 —and a significant influx of visitors from long-haul markets in Asia Pacific (+11 per cent) and the USA (+21 per cent).
-ForwardKeys
Increased flight searches and ticket bookings have also shown a great interest among tourists in European destinations. The fastest growth in tourism has been registered in Central and Eastern Europe after a delayed reactivation period due to the war in Ukraine. This summer, the region expects a significant increase of 23 per cent in tourist volumes compared to last year.
As for Northern Europe, it has also shown the same pace as it has recorded an increase of +12 per cent compared to Southern EU destinations (+10 per cent).
The growth has also influenced the revival of European tourism in urban destinations. For example, cities such as Munich benefit from major sporting events this summer with (+37 per cent). The other EU sub-regions that are included in the significant increase are the following:
While medium-length stays continue to represent the majority of arrivals within the region (63 per cent), short trips of one to three nights show the highest growth during 2023 at +23 per cent, accounting for 16 per cent of all attitudes. Long trips—over two weeks—see more modest growth at +5 per cent.
-ForwardKeys
UEFA 2024, Olympic Games, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Events Are Driving High Demand for Travel to EU Destinations
According to ForwardKeys data, this year’s events undoubtedly played the leading role in the increase in tourist demand. As a result, arrivals in Germany increased by +19 per cent compared to the same period in 2023, as the UEFA 2024 football tournament was being held.
At the same time, the demand for travel during the Olympic Games in Paris is higher than last year. The markets that recorded the best performance are China (+124 per cent), Japan (+57 per cent), Germany (+32 per cent), and the USA (+25 per cent).
In addition, Taylor Swift’s Eras tour destinations also show significant increases in arrivals compared to concert dates versus the summer as a whole – including Stockholm (+136 per cent vs +15 per cent), Warsaw (+203 per cent vs +31 per cent) and London (+45 per cent vs +12 per cent).
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