PHOTO: Europe added an extra 29 million visitors in 2013. France, for instance, was up eight percent. (Courtesy of Eurostar)
Europe continued as the world's most popular tourism region last year. According to numbers unveiled by the World Tourism Organization, international visitation to its members grew overall by five percent in 2013, as Europe received 29 million international visitors more than in the previous year, for a total of 563 million arrivals.
It was Europe's fourth consecutive year in the black. In relative terms, this means a robust growth of five percent. While growth figures can often be misleading, these figures are backed by substantial growth, even from Europe's five largest destinations.
France grew by eight percent, Spain by six percent, Italy by three percent, Turkey by 10 percent (despite the protests), and Germany by four percent. The numbers really swell among emerging destinations such as Iceland at 21 percent, Latvia at 14 percent, Serbia at 13 percent, Greece by 12 percent, and Slovakia and Malta both at 10 percent.
According to the latest European Tourism Commission (ETC) report, "European Tourism in 2013 - Trends & Prospects," confidence is growing in tourism, as some of the factors underlying growth will continue in 2014.
The ETC expects international tourism to grow between three and four percent this year. European hotel occupancy growth outpaced all other world regions throughout 2013, and raising pricing power is indicative of growing confidence in the tourism sector. Air seat capacity increased throughout the year as a further indication of industry expectations of ongoing growth in demand.
Among long-haul markets, the U.S. is expected to remain the powerhouse of long-haul tourism demand for Europe, while China will keep on leading growth in relative terms.
PHOTO: From left to right: Eduardo Santander, ETC Executive Director, Juan Jesús García, Senior Advisor Industry Affairs at Amadeus, Peter De Wilde, ETC President, Pedro Ortún, Director EC General Directorate Enterprise and Industry.
On Tuesday, Amadeus and the ETC agreed to promote Europe as a tourism destination together. The partnership falls within the "Destination Europe 2020" strategy, a joint initiative between the European Commission and ETC to strengthen the image of Europe in long-haul markets through promotional activities and the implementation of new technologies in cooperation with major industry stakeholders.
Amadeus will contribute with its technology solutions and its knowledge of the European travel industry, while the ETC will bring in the local knowledge of its 33 National Tourism Organization (NTOs) members. Amadeus will help the ETC in technology as in the VisitEurope App they developed; researching trends and markets and in the organization of seminars and programs. The main goal of Destination Europe 2020 is to further engage the private industry in the promotion of Europe.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
