Europe’s travel and tourism sector has recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic and is leading the way for an industry rebound before the end of 2024, with the region’s arrivals surpassing 2019 levels by 1% in just the first nine months of the year, say new reports by IATA and UN Tourism.
Around the globe, according to UN World Tourism Barometer, tourist arrivals are up to 98% of pre-pandemic levels. What’s more, in just the first three quarters of 2024, more than half (60) of all (111) destinations beat their full year 2019 arrival numbers. Qatar (+141% versus 2019) and Saudi Arabia (+61%) in the Middle East are both witnessing remarkable growth, while Asia Pacific is staging a more measured recovery.
Receipts are also on the way up. A total of 35 out of 43 countries for whom tourism receipts data was available, exceeded pre-pandemic revenue.
Strong European growth in receipts
But it is Europe that appears to be leading the pack across a range of measures. The bloc’s recovery has been attributed to surging intra-European demand and better connectivity, with passenger revenue kilometres up 8.7% for the region, that’s 1.6% above the global figure. A number of countries, particularly in southern Europe, have been singled out as top performers.
The UK has benefitted from a 43% rise in tourism receipts to mid-1014, UN Tourism data shows, and the agency puts it in the number one spot for spending growth. Romania also saw a 61% surge in tourism receipts.
Spain and France are both namechecked as consistent top performers, with year-on-year tourism receipts up 36% and 27% respectively, and France getting a special mention as the world’s most visited country.
Portugal meanwhile has boosted its tourism receipts by 51% over the five year period since 2019. UN Tourism has praised increased tourist spending as well as the Portuguese approach to marketing itself and positioning itself as an unmissable destination.
Huge surges for Balkan countries
Measuring by international arrivals, the Balkans are doing well. Serbia’s gastronomic scene and rich heritage and Albania’s pristine great outdoors have drawn massively increased numbers of visitors. Serbia is up 99%, and Albania, 77%. Outdoor activities and nature are also part of the appeal of Andorra, which has seen a 36% increase in tourist arrivals.
Commenting on the data, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The strong growth seen in tourism receipts is excellent news for economies around the world. The fact that visitor spending is growing even stronger than arrivals has a direct impact on millions of jobs and small businesses and contributes decisively to the balance of payments and tax revenues of many economies.”
