During Q4 2015, all international arrivals maintained their level with only a 0.7% decrease following Paris attacks from November 13th, while long haul travels in Europe stayed on the right track.However long haul travels into Europe grew by +3.1%.
Travelers from North America, and Asia & Oceania rose strongly (+3.5% and +6.9% respectively) fostered by strong dollar and the emerging markets in Asia - Pacific (APAC).
On the other hand, Intra-European flows decreased by -2.7% due to Paris attacks on November 13th, the Brussels lockdown and the eroded relationship between Russia and Turkey. This noticeably hindered the tourism sector.
Stays in Europe between 6 and 13 nights are growing faster, but stays up to one week still represent 55% of total stays in Europe in Q4 2015. 42% of total bookings were issued more than 2 months in advance. This is in line with the increase on long haul trips from North American, and Asia & Pacific.
These are the latest results from the Air Travellers' Traffic Barometer1 produced by European Cities Marketing and ForwardKeys.
However international bookings to Europe for Q1 2016 are slightly declining
Overall international bookings for flights to Europe during Q1 2016 are down by -0.9%. Intra-European travellers will still be affected by latest events in Q1 2016. Central & South America have reduced their volume, as many countries have devalued their currencies and are subject to uncertainty concerning political stability.
Paris bookings in Q1 2016, significantly affected (-16.9%), may have been transferred to Madrid and Barcelona, up by +24.1% and +32.1% respectively. Madeira and Dubrovnik are also seeing more advanced bookings in comparison to Q1 2015.
