ETC: Greece’s Source Market Performance Mixed

Greece may have been the fastest growing destination in terms of demand from the United States last year, but according to the European Travel Commission’s (ETC) latest report, interest from several source markets waned in 2019.

Key source market performance has been mixed across Europe, ETC analysts note, demonstrating a marked slowdown in demand growth compared to last year.

At the same time, however, non-European source market growth has been robust so far this year, but not all destination countries are benefiting equally.

More specifically, according to the ETC’s latest quarterly report titled “European Tourism Trends and Prospects”, demand for Greek destinations by the Dutch, German, and Canadian markets declined last year.

In the January-September 2019 period, Greece recorded a 1.7 percent rise in international arrivals.

Visits by Canadian travelers to Greece dropped by 9.2 percent, as did the number of arrivals – by 18.8 percent – of Dutch holidaymakers despite the country being named as the best destination for ‘fun and going out’ in January.

Greece also saw a decline of over 9 percent in the number of German traveler visits. Germany has historically be a key source market for the country.

On the upside, Greece was a top choice for British travelers with arrivals up by 20.3 percent.

Overall, according to ETC tentative data, European year-to-date growth remains steady at 3.5 percent with the majority of travel destinations seeing rising numbers in arrivals and overnights for 2019.

ETC analysts do note, however, that this performance reflects a slowdown compared to the 4.5 percent growth achieved in 2018, attributing the sluggish performance to the overall slowdown in the global economy.