According to a report of the European Travel Commission, during the first eight months of the year international tourist arrivals to Europe grew by eight per cent over the same period in 2016.
Healthy growth is good news for Europe’s tourism industry, which has suffered from the effects of several acts of terrorism in recent months and years. In fact, 32 of 34 European destinations covered by the report saw increase in tourist arrivals.
Since the scope of the report extends to the wider geographical area, Iceland once again leads the way in Europe’s tourism sector. With arrivals up 30 per cent, Iceland’s tourism boom continues, confirming the country as a major travel trend. Turkey is also tempting back tourists, with international visitors up 26 per cent. Similarly, Belgium saw healthy 12 per cent growth, bouncing back after the Brussels attacks in March 2016.
Even Spain — which suffered a terrorist attack in Barcelona last August — saw growth of 10 per cent in tourist arrivals.
Plus, upcoming destinations in Southern Europe are carving out a place in the market, such as Slovenia (+19%), Serbia (+19%), not to mention Malta (+17%) and Cyprus (+15%).
The report also points to the return of Russian tourists to Europe as one of the reasons for this healthy performance. Chinese visitors were also up by an estimated 17 per cent in 2017.
