C O M P A C T G U I D E S

Tourism statistics2016 edition

European tourism statistics in a nutshellEurope is a major tourist destination and according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, five of the European Union (EU) Member States are in the world’s top-10 destinations for holiday-makers.

The European Union’s tourism industry occupies an important place in the economy of all Member States, with tourism representing a large source of employment. Any assessment of its competitiveness requires a good knowledge of the volume of tourism, its characteristics, the profile of the tourist, the level of tourism expenditure and the benefits for the European economies.

This leaflet offers a quick glimpse on Eurostat’s tourism statistics, and where to find them.

Legal basisRegulation (EU) No 692/2011 on European tourism statistics is the basis for official, harmonised statistics on, on the one hand, capacity and occupancy of accommodation establishments and, on the other hand, data on trips made by EU residents. Data pursuant to this Regulation is in general collected by the national statistical authorities and made available by the European Commission on Eurostat’s website in the form of tables, multi-dimensional databases and analytical articles.

MethodologyData on capacity (number of accommodation establishments, bedrooms, bed places) and occupancy (nights spent, arrivals, occupancy rates) is typically collected from businesses (e.g. hotels or campsites) and includes monthly as well as annual data.

Data on trips made by EU residents is typically collected via household surveys, producing a sample of around 500 thousand tourism trips with overnight stays per year.

Key conceptsTourism “means the activity of visitors taking a trip to a main destination outside their usual environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose, including business, leisure or other personal purpose, other than to be employed by a resident entity in the place visited”.

See also: Methodological Manual for Tourism Statistics

Tourist accommodation establishments

Nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments, EU-28, 2004-2014 (index: 2004=100)

Total Residents Non-residents2004 100 100 1002005 105 105 1032006 107 106 1082007 108 106 1112008 107 105 1092009 105 105 1042010 110 109 1102011 113 110 1182012 118 114 1242013 121 114 1312014 123 115 133

100

105

110

115

120

125

130

135

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Total Residents Non-residents

Note: EU-28 aggregate including estimated values for missing data.

Did you know... that nearly 45 % of the nights spent at EU tourist accommodation in 2014 were spent in three Member States: France (15 %), Spain (15 %) and Italy (14 %)?Find more: Eurostat (online data code: tour_occ_ninat)

Nights spent at tourist accommodation by country of residence, EU-28 (million nights)

2014(million)

2009(million)

2014/2009(% change)

Total nights spent 2.682 2.289 +17% Residents 1.471 1.343 +10% Non-residents 1.211 947 +28%

of which, residents of:Russia 48,8 20,6 +137%

USA 59,6 46,6 +28%Brasil 8,3 4,2 +100%China 17,9 4,9 +261%Japan 12,0 10,7 +12%

Note: EU-28 aggregate including estimated values for missing data.

Did you know... that in 22 out of 25 EU countries where data is available, the number of nights spent by tourists from China was more than double in 2014 compared with 2009?Find more: Eurostat (online data code: tour_occ_ninraw)

Tourist accommodation establishments

Nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments, by NUTS 2 regions, 2014 (million nights spent by residents and non-residents)

Administrative boundaries: © EuroGeographics © UN-FAO © Turkstat

0 200 400 600 800 km

Guadeloupe (FR)

0 25

Martinique (FR)

0 20

Guyane (FR)

0 100

Réunion (FR)

0 20

Açores (PT)

0 50

Madeira (PT)

0 20

Canarias (ES)

0 100

Malta

0 10

Liechtenstein

0 5

Cartography: Eurostat - GISCO, 04/2016

Mayotte (FR)

0 15

(million nights spent by residents and non-residents)

EU-28 = 2 682< 2.52.5 – < 4.54.5 – < 6.56.5 – < 11.5>= 11.5Data not available

Note: London (the United Kingdom): NUTS level 1. Serbia: national data. Belgium and Serbia: 2013. The United Kingdom and Montenegro: 2012. EU-28, Ireland and Greece: estimates.

Did you know... that among the NUTS level 2 regions of the EU, the highest number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments was recorded in the Spanish island region of the Canarias (94.3 million nights), followed by the capital city region of France (Île de France, 77.7 million nights) and Cataluña (72.7 million nights)? These three regions represented 9% of all nights spent in the EU.Find more: Eurostat (online data code: tour_occ_nin2)

Tourism industries

Turnover in tourism industries, EU-28, 2013 (%)

Business economy other than services

78%

Services other than tourism industries

18%

Transport 27%

Accommodation 16%

Food and beverage 33%

Car and other rental 7%Travel agencies,tour operators

17%

Total tourismindustries 4% of which:

Did you know... that one in ten enterprises in the European non-financial business economy belongs to the tourism industries? Find more: Eurostat (online data code: sbs_na_sca_r2)

Employed persons by sex and full-time/part-time activity, EU-28, 2015

FemaleFull-time

31%

FemalePart-time

15%

MaleFull-time

49%

MalePart-time

5%

Total -all NACE activities

FemaleFull-time

40%

FemalePart-time

20%

MaleFull-time

35%

MalePart-time

5%

Accommodation

Did you know... that more than half of the persons employed in the accommodation sector in the Netherlands and in Denmark, work part-time? Find more: Eurostat (online data code: tour_lfs6r2)

Trips of EU residents

Trips, nights spent and expenditure of EU residents by destination, EU-28, 2014, (%)

75,0%

58,5%45,1%

18,8%

26,0%

32,8%

6.2%15,4%

22,1%

erutidnepxEtneps sthgiNspirT

Domestic Outbound EU-28 countries Outbound Other

Note: EU-28 aggregate calculated using 2013 data for the United Kingdom.

Did you know... that German and French tourists were the biggest spenders in absolute terms? Their expenditure accounted for nearly half of all of the tourism expenditure of EU residents (48 %). Find more: Eurostat (online data codes: tour_dem_ttw, tour_dem_tnw, tour_dem_extotw)

Share of world destinations for outbound trips of EU residents, EU-28, 2014, (%)

Africa4,0%

North America3,6% Central and

South America1,8%

Asia4,7%

Oceania0,5%

European Union75,2%

EFTA countries3,7%

Other European countries

6,6%

Note: EU-28 aggregate calculated using 2013 data for the United Kingdom. Due to rounding, deviation can occur between total and subtotals.

Did you know... that three in four outbound trips of Europeans were spent inside the EU, with Spain being the top foreign EU destination (nearly 21% of trips)?Find more: Eurostat (online data codes: tour_dem_ttw)

Trips of EU residents

Share of nights spent on trips by characteristics of the trip, 2014, (%)

9%

95%73%

41%

Belgium

75%97%

61%37%

Bulgaria

72%97%

39% 38%

Czech Republic

52%

94%

46%36%

Denmark

44%

89%71%

27%

Germany

38%

82%

47%26%

Estonia

27%

94%

65%

27%

Ireland88% 94%

22%

57%

Greece

85% 94%

35% 38%

Spain81%

94%

42% 37%

France

58%78%

42%31%

Croatia

71%92%

50% 50%

Italy

24%

91%

39%25%

Cyprus

49%

95%

35% 34%

Latvia

37%

87%

50%26%

Lithuania

1%

91%66%

35%

Luxembourg

60%

97%

44%30%

Hungary

14%

84% 76%

25%

Malta

36%

97%76%

33%

Netherlands

35%

87%75%

34%

Austria

63%

96%

48% 41%

Poland81% 91%

22%41%

Portugal86% 93%

31% 31%

Romania

26%

92%

64%42%

Slovenia

55%

88%

61%35%

Slovakia

61%

88%

45%24%

Finland

57%

90%

49%26%

Sweden

36%

91%

62%

26%

United Kingdom

Domestic (vs. outbound)

Personal (vs. business)

Rented accommodation (vs. non-rented)

July+August (vs. rest of the year)

59%

92%

54%33%

EU-28

Notes: EU-28 aggregate calculated using 2013 data for the United Kingdom. United Kingdom: 2013 data.

Did you know... that nearly 83 % of all trips made in 2014 lasted a maximum of one week while less than 6 % of all trips were longer than two weeks?Find more: Eurostat (online data code: tour_dem_tntot, tour_dem_tnac, tour_dem_tnmd)

Trips of EU residents

Trips by main means of transport, 2014, (%)

16

30

4

5

15

17

14

43

12

10

9

7

18

46

13

19

37

7

64

18

19

9

9

2

7

8

15

19

30

28

12

6

4

6

11

14

4

4

1

5

15

3

12

4

3

9

9

9

11

7

4

13

2

10

10

18

13

17

64

57

71

79

65

61

53

46

58

78

73

66

58

50

63

65

48

72

66

62

66

80

60

85

67

61

52

50

52

8

6

21

10

8

8

29

7

29

7

3

23

12

4

20

13

6

12

36

6

8

18

8

25

6

16

14

11

7

4

EU-28

Belgium

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Denmark

Germany

Estonia

Ireland

Greece

Spain

France

Croatia

Italy

Cyprus

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Hungary

Malta

Netherlands

Austria

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Slovenia

Slovakia

Finland

Sweden

United Kingdom

Switzerland

Air Railway Motor vehicle Other

Notes: EU-28 aggregate calculated using 2013 data for the United Kingdom. United Kingdom: 2013 data.

Did you know... that in three Member States (Malta, Greece and Estonia) waterways were the main means of transport for more than one in ten tourism trips of their residents, while Romanians, Croatians and Bulgarians took buses for more than one in five of their trips? Find more: Eurostat (online data code: tour_dem_tttr)

Trips of EU residentsExpenditure by type of expenditure, EU-28, 2014 (%)

36%

32% 38%

32%

27%

37%

32%

41%

25%

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

All trips Domestic trips Outbound trips

Bill

ions

Accommodation Transport Other

Note: EU-28 aggregate calculated using 2013 data for the United Kingdom.

Did you know... that for each tourism trip, Europeans spend on average EUR 341 per person? Broken down by destination, they spend EUR 205 on average on a domestic trip and EUR 747 on an outbound trip.Find more: Eurostat (online data code: tour_dem_ exexp)

How to access Eurostat tourism statistics data?Background information is provided in the Dedicated Section: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/tourism

Tables, graphs and maps are available for viewing, printing and downloading under “Main tables”:

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/tourism/data/main-tables

Data can also be accessed in Eurostat’s multi-dimensional database using the Data explorer: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/tourism/data/database

Statistics explainedA collection of regularly updated articles is available on Statistics Explained:

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Tourism

PublicationsPublications on tourism statistics are available in pdf format on Eurostat’s website: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/tourism/publications

Don’t miss: Eurostat regional yearbook 2016 (chapter 10 – Tourism) http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-statistical-books/-/ KS-HA-16-001

For more specific questions on tourism statistics, please contact by e-mail Eurostat-Tour@ec.europa.eu

C O M P A C T G U I D E S

Did you know?

One in three nights spent at tourist accommodation in the European Union is recorded in the two peak months, July and August. These two peak months are most pronounced in Croatia (62% of all nights spent during the year), Bulgaria (46%) and Greece (43%).

With 13 % of workers aged 15 to 24 compared with 9% for the non-financial business economy, the tourism industries have a particularly young labour force.

Of the estimated 570 thousand tourist accommodation establishments in the EU-28 in 2014, just over one third (35.5 %) were hotels and similar establishments, which provided a total of 6.6 million bedrooms and 13.7 million bed places.

EU residents spent 6.2 billion overnight stays during tourism trips in 2014, of which more than half (53.6 %) were spent in rented accommodation. One in nine nights was spent at an own holiday home.

In 2014, EU residents spent an estimated EUR 144 billion on tourist accommodation.

Tourism statistics include business travel which represented more than one in nine trips of EU residents in 2014.

Holidays, leisure and recreation occupies the biggest share (48%) of tourism trips, but with 36%, visits to friends and relatives also take a significant share.

Air transport was the preferred means of transport for outbound trips (53.8 %), while for domestic trips EU residents travelled mainly by motor vehicles (75.8 %), followed by rail (13.8 %).

40% of the EU population did not make any tourism trip in 2014. Among these citizens, more than half reported financial reasons as a barrier to participating in tourism and one in five reported health reasons for not travelling. Another one fifth simply had no interest in travelling.

Nearly half (46 %) of the nights spent in EU tourist accommodation in 2014 were spent in coastal areas.

PDF: ISBN 978-92-79-52111-9 doi:10.2785/286194Print: ISBN 978-92-79-52112-6 doi:10.2785/12765

PDF: KS-02-15-874-EN

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Print: KS-02-15-874-EN-C

© European Union 2016Cover: © Christophe Demunter