Hotel & Tourism
SMARTreport #29
2016 Spring Edition
17
EUROPE
TOPS TOURISM
GROWTH
Destinations in Europe can justifiably look back
over the past year and celebrate the tourism sector’s
outstanding performance.
2
015 marked a year of healthy
growth for European tourism,
consolidating the firm increases
recorded over the past six years
and promoting tourism as one
of the best performing sectors
and key generator of income and
employment.
Despite strong headwinds caused
by socio-economic agitations,
fluctuating exchange rates
and security concerns, most
recent estimates by the World
Tourism Organization reveal
that international tourist arrivals
to Europe grew by 5.1% last
year. This growth in arrivals to
European destinations was, in
particular, supported by solid
intra-regional demand boosted
by the recovery of many euro area
economies: visits from Germany
and France mirrored the increase
in consumer consumption and
improved consumer confidence,
UK citizens benefited from the
strength of the pound against
the euro.
>
EUROPE
Cliffs, Clare,
Ireland
