City tourism sees huge growth in Europe

City tourism in Europe is growing faster than any other area of the continent’s economy.

27 March, 2007

The European Cities Marketing (ECM) – an association that represents over one hundred European cities, tourist boards and convention bureaus – says the boom in city tourism began in 2000. That was three years after a number of low-cost airlines opened new routes across Europe, leading to the growth of the city sector to new heights.

The important European destinations – Berlin, Barcelona and Prague – collectively registered an annual increase of 550,000 room-nights. Easy access and effective marketing campaigns helped these cities to be on top in Europe’s city tourism market.

The burgeoning city tourism sector has benefited other destinations on the Baltic and Adriatic Seas as well as less important destinations in central Europe.

Emerging destinations that witnessed a dramatic rise in overnight stays during 2000-2005 include Dubrovnik, Croatia (130%); Tallinn, Estonia (92%); Ljubljana, Slovenia (71%); Zagreb, Croatia (64%); Valencia, Spain (60%); Turin, Italy (50%); and Bratislava, Slovakia (46%).

Northern Europe, excluding the Baltic states, has been the strongest sub-regional performer in Europe, with a rise of 6.0%. Finland, Ireland and the United Kingdom led the growth for the sub-region.

Other destinations that gained growth in 2006 well above the average were Germany (thanks mainly to its hosting of the FIFA World Cup), the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Online travel booking is expected to continue to rise in 2007, with 36% of Europeans now booking their holidays online as against 23% in 2004.

The British are among the most ardent online travellers – with 50% of all outbound trips at present being booked through the internet. This is about double that of the German share, which is 27%.

Markets with larger growth rates for the European city tourism business during 2000-2005were: Spain (57%), France (37%), the United Kingdom (28%), Italy (23%), and Germany (18%).