European tourism reaches new record highs in 2024
Americans are flocking to the Mediterranean in droves - but a growing number of travelers are choosing lesser-visited, cooler escapes instead
Record summer temperatures, exorbitant luxury hotel rates and overcrowded hot spots: Nothing is getting in the way of a European summer vacation. At least, not yet. A new report from the European Travel Commission on tourism spending and travel trends published in the second quarter of 2024 and shared exclusively with Bloomberg confirms that demand for the region is continuing to soar.
Key takeaways
- International tourists are projected to spend a record €800 billion in Europe this year, the report shows - that’s a 37% increase over pre-pandemic levels of €583 billion, per United Nations World Tourism Organization data;
- Overseas visitor arrivals are also up 6% over 2019 thus far, the report reveals, marking a fresh record for Europe;
- Driving this year’s European tourism boom are Americans, the report adds, and 72% of the record tourism spend has so far taken place in western European destinations;
- Further revenue boosts have come from intra-regional visitors and returning East Asian tourists, notably from China, though Chinese travelers’ spend contribution was not immediately available, ETC said.
Get the full story at the European Travel Commission