Europe on the Upswing, Plus News from Four Seasons, Transat, Puerto Rico and more

According to the European Travel Commission’s (ETC) latest quarterly ‘European Tourism Trends and Prospects’ report, Europe enjoyed a healthy 4% increase in tourist arrivals in 2019 compared to 2018.

While the rate of expansion was slower than previous years across certain individual destinations, the overall regional performance remains in positive territory. Increasing numbers of tourist arrivals generate income and support employment and investment in Europe, not only acting as a catalyst for economic expansion, but also contributing to and demonstrating the social and cultural value in the region.

Montenegro, Turkey, and Lithuania registered double-digit increases in tourist arrivals, whilst Portugal, Serbia Slovakia and The Netherlands also outperformed the average. Montenegro’s 21% surge was shored-up by greater connectivity and infrastructure investment, while Turkey (+14%) is set to invest heavily and diversify its tourism promotion activities throughout 2020 with the aim of increasing the volume and quality of tourists. Increased air connectivity has helped Lithuania’s (+10%) performance, while the recent award of most “Accessible Tourist Destination 201” to Portugal (+7%) reflects the country’s efforts to promote accessible tourism. Visa relaxation policies and bilateral business relations between destinations and source markets also continue to be key factors in encouraging travel, particularly in Serbia (+7%).

However, it hasn’t been entirely positive for all European destinations. In Romania (-4%) continued challenges related to infrastructure and tourism promotion remain, while the demise of WOW Air and a strong Krona explain the steep decline in arrivals to Iceland (-14%).