The past year has shown positive average annual growth rates in international bednights in both the cities of the City Travel Report (167.0%) and the EU 27 nations and UK (82.8%). Cities increased much more than other regions (100.6% versus 40.2%) in terms of total bednights volumes, which highlights yet again the importance of city destinations in the European tourism.
Further analysis revealed that the average growth rate of bed capacity for the cities of the City Travel Report gained momentum with an increase of 3.2% in 2022. Regarding bed occupancy, the benchmark average in 2022 was 43.1%, in comparison to 26.4% in 2021.
In line with the sustainability strategies, the City Travel Report continues with estimations of transport-related CO2 emissions caused by city tourism. Upon inspection of CO2 emissions caused by tourists traveling to/from the city, average nominal value for total CO2 in 2022 was at 600,199, which unsurprisingly, was heavily skewed by large cities such as Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Vienna. The report now also includes valuable information about the most connected cities by train in 2022, with a brief preview here: German and Swiss cities recorded the highest numbers of international trains, counted by train numbers connecting at least one other country.
“CityDNA’s commitment to quality key performance indicators (KPIs) is evident in this latest report, featuring new chapters that showcase the importance of products and services, in achieving sustainable long-term growth. From analysing CO2 emissions to assessing train connectivity, we aim to provide valuable insights that go beyond traditional metrics and highlight the factors that truly shape exceptional city tourism experiences.” added Petra Stušek, President of City Destinations Alliance.
The choice of destinations is influenced by tourism and non-tourism external factors, but also by the international connectivity. Thanks to CityDNA’s partnership with ForwardKeys, this year’s report includes valuable air travel insights and analysis on available airline seats, international arrivals for the top 30 destinations across Europe in 2022, and the total global searches for international travel during the summer period (July/August 2023).
“At CityDNA we recognize the impact of international connectivity on destination choice. By understanding these factors, destinations can make informed decisions to attract visitors and foster sustainable long-term growth.” continued Petra Stušek.
The results from the City Travel Report demonstrate that in spite of the immense impact of the pandemic over the past few years, European city tourism is on the recovery path.
“Considering the performance in 2019, 2020 and 2021 as well as the ongoing challenges for the European tourism as a whole (e.g., war in Ukraine, inflation, climate change), cities are now able to set more realistic targets for the recovery of tourism ecosystems in both the current year and the medium term.” concluded Petra Stušek.
