The ETC forecasts that Pre-pandemic levels of European travel will not be achieved until 2024

The European Travel Commission (ETC) predicted today (09.11.2021) that pre-pandemic levels of European travel will not be achieved until 2024. Although European travel demand is poised for a major recovery due to the high vaccination rates in Europe, volumes are still far from the pre-pandemic days which are not expected to be surpassed until 2024. The most recent edition of the ‘European Tourism Trends & Prospects’ quarterly report from the European Travel Commission (ETC) continues to monitor the COVID-19 impact on the sector, examining how travel activity is rebounding amid the current wave of infections and ongoing vaccination programmes.

Europe currently has the highest vaccination rate of the world’s regions, which is expected to enable the release of significant pent-up demand. In fact, European destinations already enjoyed a stronger than expected summer season owing to successful vaccination programmes. Moreover, the creation of the EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate was fundamental to ensuring safe travel across the region and helped to simplify cross-border mobility. Intra-regional travel as a result experienced an uplift and is set to account for 85% of European international arrivals in 2021, up from 77% in 2019.

However, there is still a long road ahead as international tourist arrivals to Europe were still down 77% halfway through the year. A slower vaccine rollout across Eastern Europe, and in some large long-haul source markets, may potentially delay the recovery, presenting a lingering downside risk.

Click here to see the full report.