ETC: Greece Among Countries to Recover Tourism Fast in 2022
Greece was among the top destinations in Europe to win over travelers last year and cover lost ground, according to the latest report released by European Travel Commission (ETC).
Based on findings in the ETC’s “European Tourism: Trends and Prospects” report for Q4 2022, Greece was among the countries recording the fastest recovery compared to pre-pandemic 2019.
According to ETC analysts one in two destinations recovered more than 80 percent of their pre-Covid foreign arrivals with destinations in the southern Mediterranean posting the fastest recovery as the year ended.
Affordable destinations such as Turkey (-2 percent), Luxembourg (-4 percent), Serbia (-6 percent), Greece (-6 percent), and Portugal (-7 percent) won over more travelers and are fast approaching 2019 levels.
According to European air traffic figures by country based on data until December 2022, Greece along with Croatia and Portugal were all above 2019 levels.
At the same time, a previous ETC report found that Greece was among the Top 10 countries Europeans are considering for their next trip this year.
Europe recovers of 75% of 2019 levels
Despite the cost-of-living crisis, the Russia-Ukraine war and the soaring energy prices, European travel recovery persisted in late-2022, supported by a strong pent-up demand.
Overall, Europe recovered of 75 percent of 2019 travel volumes in 2022 and looking ahead, analysts expect the rebound to continue into 2023, but at a slower pace.
International travel to Europe is set to reach pre-Covid levels in 2025, with domestic travel fully recovering in 2024, said the ETC.
“Looking forward to 2023, we expect the tourism sector in Europe to continue its strong rebound. As European short-haul travel is well on its way to recovery, the tourism industry’s attention has now turned to long-haul arrivals,” said ETC President Luís Araújo.
He also referred to the return of Asia Pacific visitors in the coming months which is set to boost tourism but added that the sector must “be receptive to consumer demand, improving the visitor experience at destination and targeting markets and segments less affected by economic slowdown”.
Meanwhile, impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war, destinations marking the slowest recovery in tourist arrivals were Finland (-38 percent), Lithuania, Latvia, and Romania (all -42 percent).
Other key takeaways of the ETC report:
-hindering recovery in 2022 were slower long-haul travel, hesitancy related to Covid-19 safety concerns and the slower re-opening of Asia Pacific countries
–transatlantic travel is expected to increase tourism to European destinations with the US leading the recovery of long-haul travel to Europe
-one in four reporting destinations saw US arrivals exceed 2019 levels in 2022 with arrivals to Europe down by 25 percent over 2019 levels
-Europe is expected to recover 82 percent of 2019 volumes from the US in 2023 and 28 percent of 2019 levels from Canada in 2023.