European Cities Marketing and Forward Keys have published the latest issue of the Traffic Barometer that only proves that long-haul arrivals in Europe have returned to the normal level, and the first quarter of 2018 had a solid growth. Eastern Europe keeps posting fantastic results, and traditional destinations, such as Rome, are finally back after a period of mixed performance.
Compared to Q1 2017, the number of long-haul arrivals in Europe added 12.5% in the first quarter of 2018. The number of total arrivals in Europe is also growing up 6.1% in Q1 2018 compared to the same period a year ago. Again, this solid growth was powered by long-haul travelers, while the increase in the number of intra-European travelers is still quite modest. The growth is not bound to some particular region as all regions posted a growth of more than 10%. However, there are some leaders in terms of arrivals, of course. For example, 18.1% of visitors from the Middle East visited Europe in Q1 2018. Central and South America also posted a significant growth of 17.3%.
Leisure travelers are still more widespread in Europe than business ones. For many international travelers, Europe remains primarily a vacation destination. This statement is based on bookings made by visitors of the region. Leisure travel also has the biggest share of bookings for the next 210 days.
London hotels and hotels in Paris have not experienced difficulties and this is not likely to change any time soon because these two destinations remain the most popular choices of long-haul travelers. Their shares are 18% and 16% respectively. The 3rd top destination in Europe for long-haul travelers is rather unexpected. Istanbul occupies this place with the share of 2%. Seville hotels definitely have a powerful start of the year an increase in arrivals grew from 18.2% to 33.1% in Q1 2018. Three cities have entered the Top 10 rank after a challenging period of declines. These are Rome, Amsterdam, and Budapest. This fact means that travelers are returning to traditional European destinations that posted not amusing results last year.
Intra-European travel, in its turn, has not only smaller growth than long-haul travelers but also smaller bookings the decline is 3.6%. Istanbul remains one of the leading destinations with the growth in bookings of more than 50%. Switzerland and such destinations as Zurich and Geneva, in particular, are also among the most growing destinations in forward bookings. Weakened Swiss Franc might be one of the reasons for that as it makes travel to the country more affordable.