European outbound travel to grow in 2019
TravelBizNews —
Berlin – Spain has been unable to maintain its strong growth of international visitors of recent years, while Turkey and Greece are attracting more holidaymakers again.
Tour holidays are back in favor with European tourists following a steady decline in the past few years,. Overall, European outbound travel grew by five per cent during the first eight months of the year according to the World Travel Monitor conducted by IPK International and commissioned by ITB Berlin.
On a global level, 2017 was an exceptionally good year, a development to which Europe contributed significantly. However, the first eight months of 2018 were unable to surpass those figures.
Although European outbound trips increased by five per cent, that figure fell short of the seven per cent last year. ”Rising oil prices and air fares have dampened European growth as well. However, the trend remains clearly positive”, said Rolf Freitag, CEO of IPK International.
Poland was the biggest source market for international travel, reporting a ten per cent growth year-on-year. Also Swedes and Russians undertook more trips this year, while the Italian, German and Austrian markets registered solid growth too.
According to the IPK World Travel Monitor, which covers more than 90 per cent of global outbound travel, figures for Switzerland, Denmark and the United Kingdom were below average by comparison. Again, driving growth this year were trips within Europe, which increased by six per cent.
A look at long-haul travel shows that trips to Asia grew by three per cent. At one per cent, trips to the Americas recovered slightly from last year’s stagnating figures. Mexico, for instance, registered four per cent more visitors from Europe over the first eight months, while the USA reported an increase of one per cent.
Among European destinations Turkey is the clear winner, reporting almost 30 per cent more visitors. The developments were also very positive in Greece, with a 19 per cent increase over the first eight months.
During the same period the UK registered a drop in visitors of approximately three per cent. After years of strong growth, the figures for Spain stagnated.
Ever-popular sun and beach holidays were among this year’s growth drivers during the first eight months. So far this year, holiday trips overall increased by six per cent. In contrast, business travel stagnated in 2018. Traditional business trips dropped by five per cent, while MICE travel increased by three per cent.
During the first eight months of this year higher expenses and longer stays of European travelers have led to an eight per cent rise in total turnover.
Looking ahead to 2019, IPK International forecasts a good year for the European outbound travel market and anticipates five per cent growth. In particular, Russian traveler numbers are expected to rise sharply by seven per cent.
The signs are also positive for source markets like Denmark, France, Switzerland, Spain and Belgium. Europe’s largest outbound travel market, Germany, is expected to grow by four per cent in 2019.
Source : ITB Berlin / Dec. 9, 2018
Image : Stockholm , Sweden / Visit Sweden
