BRUSSELS, May 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Tourism performance in Europe
continues on a positive footing in 2016 following the 5% increase
in international tourist arrivals[1] registered last
year. However, safety and security concerns and developments in
travel facilitation call for closer monitoring to assess the impact
on tourism in the mid-term.
According to the latest European Travel Commission (ETC)
"European Tourism 2016 - Trends & Prospects", a vast majority
of destinations reported positive results in the first two months
of the year in both overnights and arrivals. Top performers were
Slovakia (+30%), Serbia (+24%) and
Romania (+20%) recording
double-digit growth. Among large destinations, substantial growth
was posted by Spain (+13%),
reflecting their efforts to fight seasonality, trailed by
Austria and Germany (both +5%). Conversely, Turkey (-8%) saw a shrinking growth from its
key source markets attributable to political and safety and
security challenges.
"Tourism is one of Europe's most important
industries and it constitutes a powerful tool to foster economic
development and employment growth. Amidst increased competition and
unpredictable events, European leaders within the sector are called
to jointly co-operate to enhance the visibility of Europe and safeguard its image as an
appealing and welcoming tourist destination" said
Eduardo Santander, Executive
Director of ETC.
Travel demand from long-haul markets
remains paramount for tourism growth
Positive economic indicators continue to support growth from the
US, accounting for 5% of the share of tourist arrivals to
Europe. China remains the second largest non-European
source market despite concerns of its slowing economy or the
implementation of the Biometric visa hampering outbound travel. For
this market, tourist arrivals to Europe are projected to reach 12 million in
2016[2]. Meanwhile in Japan, raising real wages are expected to
contribute positively to consumer spending. Positive data from the
key long-haul markets should be interpreted with caution as the
aftermath of recent terror attacks in Europe have yet to be observed in the coming
months.
Travel demand from Russia
continues to taper with more than half of reporting destinations
recording negative figures at the beginning of the year. With an
economy in recession, falling oil prices and a weakened Rouble,
growth in tourism demand from this market is not expected in the
near future while across the Atlantic, Brazil's economy struggles to pull out of
recession.
The "European Tourism - Trends & Prospects" is available for
free download on
http://www.etc-corporate.org/reports/european-tourism-2016-trends-and-prospects-(q1-2016)
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1. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
2. Tourism Economics