European tourism expanding in the first half year of 2013

“As 2012 was a strong year for tourism, Europe’s modest upward trend confirms the health of its tourism sector against overall economic turmoil,” according to the European Travel Commission.

The UN World Tourism Organization expects world tourism to grow on average between 3% and 4% this year. According to the UNWTO 2013 World Tourism Barometer, growth is forecast in all world regions, with Europe (+2% to +3%) and the Americas (+3% to +4%) growing at a more moderate pace than Asia and the Pacific (+5% to +6%), Africa (+4% to +6%) and the Middle East (+0% to +5%).

The modest upward trend in individual destinations is reinforced by key indicators from the aviation and accommodation industries.

Air transport statistics indicate that tourism demand remains robust from long-haul markets, with travel on European routes growing at a slightly faster rate moving into 2013. Occupancy in European hotels has also been higher than a year earlier, with growth apparent in all sub-regions.

For the remaining months of 2013, European destinations’ performance will largely depend on the economic performance of intra-European markets. The multi-speed economic recovery in Europe may exacerbate recent changes in travel patterns. Travel from some large Southern and Western European markets (e.g. Italy, Spain and the Netherlands) slowed down during the first months of 2013. As further low cost options are sought, demand for domestic travel in these markets may rise at the expense of international travel. On the other end, emerging markets will continue to grow in relative importance, with Russia being on the front line. Some developed markets that performed weakly in recent years may also gain importance as they release pent-up demand (e.g. France and UK).