Europe Sees Strong Demand From Canadians
Canadians love Europe and the European Travel Commission (ETC) has the numbers to prove it.
The ETC’s latest quarterly report, “European Tourism – Trends & Prospects,” the overall performance of Canadian visits to Europe remains positive with continuous growth recorded in most European destinations.
Based on latest data available, 23 out of 28 reporting European destinations saw growth in visits and overnights. Latvia experienced the greatest growth (+259%) in tourist arrivals.
The forecast remains strong as the number of arrivals from Canada to European destinations is estimated to grow by 6% in 2018.
Dana Welch, chair of the ETC’s Canada Chapter, commented on the current forecast, “Excited to see the positive results to date and the anticipated growth in arrivals from Canada to European destinations. A number of factors are supporting this growth, including the increase in direct air access from Canada.
“Europe remains a popular destination for Canadians and has so much to offer, including the heritage and culture, ancestry connections, vibrant cites and culinary highlights.”
Mediterranean destinations such as Croatia (+63.7%), Turkey (+39.5%), Cyprus (+38%) and Montenegro (+33%) also saw substantial increases from Canada.
A different picture is observed in Lithuania which experienced a decrease of 25% compared to the same period in 2017. Last year, Iceland was a top performer for Canadian visitors to Europe, supported by the increase in hub traffic on transatlantic flights. The latest results, however, show a bleaker picture with a 5% decrease in tourist arrivals compared to the same period last year.
