A report by European Cities Marketing (ECM), shows that European city tourism is growing faster than any other area of the European economy.
ECM represents more than a hundred Euro cities, tourist boards and convention bureaus. Popularity for City Breaks took off in 2000 after many low cost airlines began to offer new routes & cheap flights across Europe which caused the City Break market to grow at an unprecedented level.
It is not just the amount of City Breaks being sols that have increased. There has also been a rise in the average length of stay. Key European destinations such as Barcelona, Prague and Berlin have all witnessed an increase of 550,000 room nights per year. It is the ease of access and successful marketing campaigns that have propelled these three destinations into the successful and powerful position they now find themselves in.
However, it is not just these leading cities that are benefiting form the City Breaks boom. Emerging destinations have also enjoyed a considerable increase in overnight stays in recent years. These include Dubrovnik (Croatia) +130%, Tallinn (Estonia) +92%, Ljubljana (Slovenia) +71%, Zagreb (Croatia) +64%, Valencia (Spain) +60%, Turin (Italy) +50%, and Bratislava (Slovakia) +46%.
Northern Europe, it has been announced, is the strongest sub-regional performer in Europe. Finland, Ireland and the UK have led the growth for the sub region. Germany achieved results well above the growth rate – largely due its hosting of the FIFA World Cup – as did the Netherlands and Switzerland. Many city break suppliers are now offering a wider choice of European destinations for customers, including directline-citybreaks.co.uk who are expanding from offering Eurostar breaks, to also include destinations farther afield with flight options.
