The
European Travel Commission (ETC) has just published its
last quarterly report
on European Tourism in 2012 - Trends & Prospects.
Inbound travel
to Europe is expected to have grown by a solid
4% in 2012, following a year of strong growth (+7% in 2011). ETC
expects tourism to rise at a more modest but steady pace in 2013, and
to positively contribute to the improvement of fragile economies in
Europe.
European
travel performance exceeded expectations in 2012, with growth
reported by the majority of both established and emerging
destinations in Europe. This came after a year of even stronger
growth (+7% in 2011) and despite the persistent negative economic
climate in the Eurozone. Long-haul demand for travel to European
destinations remained robust and travel from some traditionally small
emerging origin markets steadily gained importance. An increasing
number of Europeans also opted for travel within the regional
borders, consistent with observed behaviour in previous periods of
economic weakness. Tourism remains one of the few economic sectors
steadily growing in the fragile economies in Europe.
Despite
the persistence of a negative economic climate in the Eurozone,
foreign visits to European destinations grew by a solid 4% in 2012.
In line with worldwide trends, emerging destinations lead growth.
Iceland (+20%), Lithuania(+12%)
and Romania (+10%) topped the ranking with exceptional double-digit
figures. Healthy growth is also reported by larger European
destinations as Germany (+8%), Spain (+5%) and Austria (+5%).
The
rejuvenation of the economy in key long-haul markets positively
contributed to the rise of international arrivals to Europe. Most
European destinations report robust growth from the US market,
coupled with a strong rebound of Japanese travellers after the events
of 2011. Among European outbound markets, Russia remains the fastest
growing market from all reporting countries. Travel from Germany and
the Netherlands to other European destinations also increased
throughout much of 2012. Growth has been most notable to smaller
Eastern European destinations while there have been some reported
falls in travel demand and notably for some large destinations. The
majority of destinations reported a higher number of visitors from
France, but demand from this market slowed as 2012 progressed, in
line with French economy’s trends.
Tourism
remains one of the few economic sectors proving resilient in the
fragile economies of Europe. The European Commission expects economic
growth to gradually return in the European Union during 2013, with
further strengthening appearing only in 2014. The consequences of the
financial crisis will still weigh on the growth and employment
performance of many countries in Europe next year, but “tourism can
act as an engine for the economies of our region, through
foreign-exchange earnings, the generation of income and the creation
of much needed jobs”, said Mr Santander, Executive Director of the
European Travel Commission.
Outlook
The
most significant risks for the global economy eased through 2012 and
the 2013
outlook for the global economy is more
optimistic. Inbound tourism from key long-haul markets is expected to
continue growing through 2013. The persistence of troubles in some
Eurozone economies will instead prevent a swift recovery and present
significant challenges to economies in Europe. Growth from European
markets hence remains the crucial element for European tourism to
realize its full growth potential in 2013. Yet, a comparatively
weaker euro is likely to benefit Eurozone destinations by improving
price competitiveness.
Although
it will be hard to match the strong recent performance, ETC expects
European destinations to grow on average by 1% to 3% next year, with
marked differences across destinations.
The
full report can be downloaded from ETC’s corporate website under
the following
link: http://www.etc-corporate.org/reports/tourism-trends.