Travel to, from Europe to Shrink Slightly in 2009

The number of tourists visiting European destinations in 2009 is expected to contract slightly and, given the current economic environment, things could get worse. However, Europeans earning in euro who retain their jobs in the economic slump will find non-eurozone destinations more affordable.

These are the initial findings and predictions from the ITB World Travel Trends Report 2009, which will be presented during the world’s leading annual travel show, ITB Berlin, on 11 March during the Future Day of the ITB Convention, and will be published before the end of the same month.

The report, produced by IPK International, suggests that new tourist arrivals records are likely to be broken 2011-2012.

IPK says final tourism figures for 2008 are still being collated. However, after a record year for many European destinations in 2007, it seems the deterioration in European economic performance and confidence in Q3 & Q4 2008 will mean that Europe’s overall inbound growth for 2008 will struggle to reach 1 percent.

European Travel Commission data shows that Bulgaria, Turkey, Latvia and Slovakia recorded double-digit increases in arrivals for most of 2008. Austria, Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Malta, Montenegro, Sweden and Switzerland were also doing better than average up to November.

As the economic slump took hold worldwide, Europe’s appeal faded fastest in long-haul source markets. ETC estimates suggest that arrivals from the U.S., Japan, China and South Korea were down last year. In contrast, visitors from India to Europe were not deterred. Some destinations saw double-digit growth from this market.