Inbound travel to Europe is expected to have grown by a solid 4% in 2012, following a year of strong growth (+7% in 2011).
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.
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.
European Tourism in 2012 – Trends & Prospects
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