There is a European holiday to suit everyone, from sunny beach holidays to adventurous single skiing holidays. With endless options to visit some of the most beautiful places in the world, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the European travel sector has shown an impressive 6% growth in the first quarter of 2019.
The European Travel Commission’s quarterly report reveals that despite the challenges including the slowing global economy, trade tensions and political uncertainty, European travel has exceeded expectations from January to March. However, ETC also mentions that maintaining growth in 2019 will be more difficult than in 2018.
For the rest of the year, the report suggests that the growth will show a more moderate rate of expansion of around 3.6%. The report also reveals the individual rate of foreign arrivals and overnight stays for each country, which identified Montenegro as the leading country showing impressive growth. In the past year, the country has invested in improved air connectivity and promotional activities which has proven to have a fantastic impact on their tourism.
Many travellers want to visit Montenegro and enjoy the beautiful beaches and mountainous views all year round, the country has also improved its winter infrastructure to expand the tourism season. As a result, the report states Montenegro has a record growth of 41% in arrivals compared to the same period a year ago.
Turkey is also one of the leading countries which has shown growth in 2019, with 7.4%. Due to the depreciating lira, the report predicts continued growth in Turkey’s tourism for the rest of the year.
ETC’s report summarises that the new data establish Europe as the second fastest growing region, only fractionally behind the Asia and Pacific region. Eduardo Santander, the executive director of ETC, says: “At all times, it is important for us to be conscious of the challenges that lie ahead. We must work together across Europe, with the assistance of European and national policy-makers, to ensure the drivers of sustainable tourism growth are in place for the benefit of all.”
