In terms of availability, Spain ranked third with 3.8 million beds, accounting for 13% of the total. It was followed by Germany (3.5 million seats). The remaining share was divided between the Netherlands (5%), Croatia, Austria and Greece (4% each), as well as Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic (3%).
Compared to the COVID-19 year of 2020, when the world was battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of places and the number of tourist facilities ready to receive tourists have remained largely unchanged. However, compared to pre-COVID levels, the number of places in 2021 was below 2% (28.8 million) and the number of tourist accommodations was even lower – 3% lower, for a total of 617.953.
Eurostat data also showed that ¾, i.e. 75% of the 591 million nights were spent by foreign tourists from other EU Member States, while 16% by tourists from other European countries, in particular the UK.
In addition, changes in market segmentation were seen, most likely , due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an apparent increase of 15 percentage points in overnight stays by tourists from other EU countries and an eight percentage point decrease in nights spent by tourists from non-EU countries, including Russia.
About 8% of overnight stays by foreign travelers came from other regions in 2021, compared to 16% in pre-COVID 2019. Moreover, tourists from North America accounted for 4% of the total number of nights spent by foreign tourists in EU tourist hotels during 2021, while guests from Asia – only 2%, Central and South America – 1%, Africa – almost 1% and Oceania – 0.2%.
Data from the European Tourism Commission (ETC) has shown that Europeans still love to travel within the EU and make plans for upcoming seasons. “While the cost of living crisis is another undeniable challenge for tourism in Europe, ETC is pleased to note that travel remains a priority for Europeans in the coming months. It is now critical for Europe to ensure a more sustainable industry by supporting digitalization and the environment and putting people at the center of development,” said ETC President Luis Araujo, commenting on the study.
According to ETC findings, sentiment towards Intra-European travel is on the rise, with 62% of respondents saying they plan to travel within the EU, the strongest indicator of favor for domestic travel since Covid 2020.
Turprom previously wrote about Turkey: “Records and incredible expectations: in Antalya they talked about the future.”
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “The urologist named 8 reasons for frequent visits to the toilet and when to see a doctor.”