The tourist hotspots in Europe are on a record number of visitors this summer, as the vacationers from the USA and the Middle East mild and contribute to growing concerns about the surface on the continent.
Analysts say that European holidaymakers are partly responsible for the increase in the number of visitors to the top destinations of the continent, but the main reason is the strong post-pandemical engine for visitors from the USA.
More than 7.7 million Americans flew to Europe between January and May this year, which, according to the US National Travel and Tourism Office, rose 6 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. In June and July, Eurostar recorded an increase in the bookings of US travelers of 45 percent in the US travelers compared to 2024.
Visits in Europe last year were strengthened by the Olympic Games in Paris and the Eras tour by Taylor Swift. In view of this year’s calendar, however, events of this size lack an fear visits to the continent, “that it would be quite strong,” said Bernstein -Analyst Richard Clarke.
“(But) Actually, it looks as if it would be extremely strong. (Europe) could be ready for a record summer,” he said.
The increase in visitors has triggered Protests against upourism Of the residents of Barcelona, Amsterdam and the Greek island of Santorini, who complain that this leads to a lack of living space and unaffordable rents.
This week residents of Venice joined a protest Against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ opulent three -day wedding in the city. The locals have plastered the city walls with “no space for Bezos” posters.
The influx is good news for the hoteliers in Europe, but not for the other tourists in the continent. Bernstein estimates that US visitors for hotel rooms pay between 20 and 25 percent more than the average guest, as they tend to book more expensive rooms and prefer flexible bookings.
Clarke said that Americans who visited Europe “increase prices for everyone”.
US hotel chains want to be redeemed. Hilton would like to open another 65 hotels in Europe this year. Marriott, who has expanded its number of rooms on the continent by 11.5 percent in the past two years, has honored Europe as a priority. Marrot’s EMEA President Satya Anand said Greece was “an outstanding goal”.
Hotel operators also spread in Europe outside the top goals. Hilton opens new hotels in lesser known destinations such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“In front of Covid, American travelers went to Lisbon and that was. Then they started going to Porto … but now they were distributing themselves in Algarve or Douro Valley,” said Karin Sheppard, EMEA President at IHG, who wants to open around 40,000 more rooms in Europe over the next few years.
“Europe is … (already) buzzing, but it will intensify,” she said.
In addition, a higher proportion of Europeans are more decided in Europe than in the United States.
The “rhetoric that comes from the US administration” around tariffs has prevented Europeans from visiting the United States, according to Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at Airdna.
“We see that the Germans, the French, the Dutch of the Germans, of the Germans,” he said, adding that potential tourists are also deterred by stricter controls at the US border.
In the first four months of the year, according to Eurostat, at least 22 meters more European citizens decided in their own country. According to the US government’s data, the number of Europeans flew to the USA fell by 2.2 percent in the same period.
After the attack of Israel on Iran this month, travelers exchanged planned trips for the surrounding destinations in the Middle East, including Dubai, Egypt and Turkey, in Europe.
According to Airdna, the cancellations of short -term rental bookings in the Middle East rose in a single week this month by 40 percent in the Middle East. Bookings short -term ended in the week on June 21 by almost 7 percent in Europe.
Wyndham Hotels, who belongs to the Days Inn chain, recorded cancellations this month in the Middle East. Some of these holidaymakers have been re -booked in Europe because “they feel safe,” said the company’s EMEA President of the company, Dimitris Manikis, and added that “Europe is a winner”.
Simon Vincent, President of EMEA in the US hotel giant Hilton, admitted that the conflict in the Middle East had brought some “short-term disorders”, but also said that his hotels in places such as Ibiza and Cannes were “absolutely full.
In the investment partners owned by Blackstone there are 70 main trends on the entire continent on the beach hotel.
James Seppala, Blackstones Head of European Real Estate, said European travelers, “Egypt, the Red Sea, Turkey and Cyprus, could be hesitant, but“ everyone wants to go to Sicily and Sardinia and the Greek islands ”.
