Published on : Tuesday, July 16, 2019
In spite of unsure trade relationships between China and the US and a slowing Chinese travel demand, a growth rate of 3.6% is predicted, which is more in line with the annual historical average from 2008-2018, but lower than that of 2018.
The Balkan region became the top performer in terms of arrivals growth, with Montenegro exhibiting an increase of 50%. Slovenia and Greece were up by 8%, reflecting the benefits of expanded tourism season and niche marketing.
Montenegro has benefited from developed air transport accessibility and numerous promotional activities implemented by national tourism authorities. For Slovenia, a recent win for Ljubljana and Bled’s runner-up spot at the ITB Berlin shows the country’s efforts to attract travel demand.
In the case of Iceland, the recent collapse of low-cost carrier Wow Air in March have worsened this decline at the same time as the decrease in Estonia might have been due to the reduction in arrivals from Russia – one of its largest source markets.