Across all destinations analyzed, foreign tourist arrivals were 1.6% below 2019 figures, with the number of nights down 0.6%, showing resilient demand across the continent – a trend that is expected to continue into 2024, according to the latest edition of the quarterly report “Trends and prospects for European tourism”, published by the European Travel Commission (ETC).

The recovery is supported by strong intra-European travel, mainly from Germany, France and the Netherlands. Long-haul arrivals are also recovering, but at a slower pace, showing significant variations between regions such as Asia-Pacific and North America.

European travel remained resilient in the final months of 2023, with two-thirds of destinations experiencing a full recovery or recording arrivals and/or overnight stays within 10% of pre-pandemic levels. Among these, southern European destinations continue to be the main ones, driven by the favourable climate that lasts until the low season. Serbia recorded the biggest increase in arrivals (+15%), along with Portugal (+11%), Montenegro (+10%), Turkey (+9%) and Malta (+8%).

Other countries also achieved a significant recovery compared to 2019, notably Iceland, which recorded a 12% increase in arrivals, despite volcanic eruptions, while the Netherlands increased tourist overnight stays by 16%, despite an increase of less than 2% in arrivals, indicating longer stays.

In contrast, Eastern European destinations bordering Russia have seen a slower recovery, with countries such as Lithuania (-32%), Latvia (-29%), Estonia (-27%) and Finland ( -24%) left behind.

Miguel Sanz, president of ETC, says that “the high demand for travel recorded in 2023 gave a significant boost to European economies and will help improve the balance sheets of tourism companies, which were hit hard by travel restrictions. However, a return to pre-pandemic levels will also put pressure on us to accelerate the sustainable transition of the travel sector.”