Malta was among six European tourist hotspots that managed to reach pre-pandemic levels for May 2022, the European Travel Commission said in its quarterly report on European tourism trends and prospects.

 

Apart from Malta, the other countries reported to have reached the same levels were Italy, Greece, Croatia, Spain and Portugal.

 

According to the current trends willingness to travel this summer will get back on track, despite there being concerns and uncertainties brough about by inflation, the Ukrainian war and the rising rates of Covid-19 cases.

The ETC is predicting a recovery in full swing for this summer as consumers have had time to save up during the height of the pandemic, making it possible to support their travel plans.

In its studies the ETC is also predicting that Europe this year will recover some 70 percent of its pre-Covid travel demand.

“Covid-19 restrictions have been rolled back, and people are eager to make up for two years of lost travel opportunities,” said ETC President Luís Araújo.

To date for this year, Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey saw the strongest rebounds in tourist arrivals, whilst Monaco, Croatia, Iceland and Slovenia, also exhibited a strong recovery.

 

Challenges faced by the sector

High inflation is likely to shift demand to domestic and short term travel, the ETC said.

“While travel sentiment in Europe remains strong, the savings base – which was expected to bolster growth – has been eroded by the increasing cost of living due to energy and food price hikes,” the report reads.

Apart from that the high increase in fuel prices, which is directly linked to the price of transport will shift preferences for consumers to opt for lower cost options for holiday planning such as as staycations, or more affordable forms of transport to nearby countries.

As a result, short- and medium-term travel is expected to continue driving European tourism recovery.

On the contrary, arrivals from long-haul markets like Asia have been reported as being significantly behind, as the will to travel to such destinations has been inhibited by ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. When it comes to the United States recovery has also been slower than anticipated and those returning from European countries were required to take PCR tests prior to travel until the end May/beginning of June, which may have held back demand.

Another problem which may also cause European travel destinations to struggle is staff shortages, the report notes.

“We are witnessing a much faster rebound than travel businesses in Europe had been expecting, and staff shortages may prove to be an obstacle to a complete recovery,” said ETC President Luís Araújo.

Some of the main reasons which were cited were the long lead times on security clearance, the lack of available workers and lastly the aviation sector being viewed as an unstable employment opportunity post-Covid.

“Bringing back talent, and making careers in the sector more enticing, is the top priority for European tourism recovery in the months to come,” said ETC President Luís Araújo.