European Travel Commission (ETC) reported (19-Feb-2019) the European tourism sector proved "resilient" in 2018, though uncertainties over Brexit remain in 2019. ETC report highlights include:
- 6% year-on-year increase in international visitors in 2018, with travel to Turkey (+22%) "continuing its strong recovery";
- 32 of 33 reporting destinations reported growth in 2018 to date, with particularly strong increases from US and China markets;
- 24 of 30 destination countries reported an increase in the number of visitors from China, due to improved air connectivity, visa procedures and growing Chinese middle class;
- More destinations reported declines from the UK than from any other key source market;
- Growth of approximately 3% predicted for 2019. [more - original PR]