The study shows that emerging destinations in lesser-known regions across
Europe, including Northern Italy, Spain, Portugal, Southern Finland and Poland,
are attracting increased interest from long-haul travellers. This shift is
contributing to a more balanced distribution of visitor flows and helping
destinations address seasonality challenges.
The research analyses travel behaviour from six key overseas source markets
– Australia, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea and the United States –
identifying how demand from these markets can support strategic tourism
development across European destinations.
“Our Annual Meeting in Pärnu is about making European tourism future-ready.
We’re delighted to welcome Mabrian and Data Appeal to bring the latest
intelligence from key overseas markets. These timely insights will help
destinations stay competitive and deliver more balanced value – across regions,
seasons and stakeholders,” said Menno Van IJssel of the European Travel
Commission.
According to official forecasts from the European Travel Commission and Tourism Economics, by 2029 more than one in ten
travellers visiting Europe will come from one of these six overseas markets,
with travellers from the United States accounting for around half of this
long-haul demand.
Air connectivity has continued to strengthen. In 2025, available seats on
direct flights from these overseas markets to European destinations increased
by 5.2%. The United States remains the best-connected market with more than
36.4 million available seats, followed by Canada with 8.7 million and China
with 6.8 million. Capacity growth has been particularly strong from China and
Japan, as well as Australia, despite overall seat availability from Australia
remaining comparatively limited.
While overseas travellers continue to visit Europe’s most established
regions – such as Lazio, Tuscany, Andalusia, Catalonia, Île-de-France and
Attica – these areas accounted for 32.2% of total overseas stays in 2025, data
indicates that demand growth is accelerating in alternative destinations.
These include northern and cooler-climate regions such as Southern Finland, Vestland in Norway, Galicia in Spain, Trentino-Alto Adige in Italy, Normandy and Alsace in France, and Northern Portugal. Central European destinations in Croatia and Poland are also gaining visibility, alongside less crowded coastal areas such as the Ionian Islands in Greece and the Marmara region in Turkey.
Destinations with strong cultural identity are also benefiting from increased
overseas interest, including Central Anatolia in Turkey and Galway County in
Ireland. Across these emerging destinations, nature-based and active tourism
experiences are the primary demand drivers, complemented by cultural
motivations.
“Overseas demand is becoming a powerful engine for diversifying European
tourism,” said Carlos Cendra,
Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian.
The analysis also highlights lower sensitivity to peak season travel among
overseas visitors. Travellers from long-haul markets tend to avoid July and
August, favouring shoulder seasons instead. This counter-seasonal pattern is
particularly pronounced among Asian markets, presenting opportunities for
demand smoothing and capacity optimisation.
Travel party composition varies by market. Travellers from the United
States, Canada and Australia most commonly visit as couples, while solo travel
is more prevalent among visitors from Japan and South Korea. Among Chinese
travellers, business travel represents 16.5% of visits to emerging
destinations, compared with 10.5% from Japan and 9.4% from South Korea.
Accommodation preferences also differ. American and Japanese travellers
account for the highest shares of five-star hotel stays, while four-star
accommodation is the most popular category for Australian and Japanese
visitors. Travellers from Canada, the United States, China and South Korea show
similar demand levels for three- and four-star hotels.
“These data clearly highlight the opportunities for both territorial and
seasonal tourism dispersion,” noted a
Mabrian spokesperson. “To capitalise on overseas
demand trends and redistribute visitors beyond Europe’s most frequented
destinations and peak months, it is essential that alternative destinations
offer a complete range of tourism products and services suited to long-haul
travellers.”
* Destinations analysed: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus,
Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and Ukraine.
** Air capacity from ETC European countries and Turkey includes only destinations with direct flights from at least one key overseas market in 2025. The following countries are excluded from this assessment because they do not have direct air connections between their destinations and the key overseas market analysed: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Tags: Data Appeal Menno Van IJssel European Travel Commission Carlos Cendra, Mabrian
