the fastest-growing destinations in europe
FRANCE, Spain, Italy, and the UK may be among the world’s most frequented holiday hubs – with France taking the global crown with a staggering 86.9 million international tourist arrivals annually – but these already popular places can only stand to grow so much year over year.
This leaves such lesser known destinations as the Republic of Moldova to jump farther faster.
According to new data from the UN World Tourism Organisation, in 2017, for instance, French tourism grew by 5.1%; its landlocked competitor – tucked between Ukraine and Romania – saw a visitation spike of 19.6% when it welcomed 145 000 visitors last year.
“When you’re talking about these fast-growing destinations in Europe, there’s often a lack of name recognition, compared to more popular countries,” says Warren Chang, chief operating officer for bespoke travel outfitter Cox & Kings’ Americas division.
“But so many of these places have robust histories and a really understated romantic feel-plus diversity of culture and nature.”
Another benefit, he says, is accessibility.
“Off-the-beaten-path travel is more comfortable in Europe, where English is more commonly spoken, and while it might take time for a place like Moldova to develop as a standalone destination, it’s easy for people to tack short explorations of these countries on to their itineraries,” Chang says.
For the well-travelled Europhile, these are the top 10 places to go next,ranked by year-on-year growth.
10. Armenia: 18.65% year-on-year growth. This is among the destinations Chang expects to surge in 2019, with historical riches such as Mt Ararat (where Noah’s Ark is said to have made landfall), and – yes – its most famous cultural descendants, the Kardashians.
9. Bosnia and Herzegovina: 18.66%.
8. The Republic of Moldova: 19.6%.
7. Azerbaijan: 20%.
6. Macedonia: 23.5%.
5. Iceland: 24.11%.
4. Turkey: 24.14%.
3. Israel: 24.6%.
2. Georgia: 27.9%.
1. San Marino: 31.1% – yes, the medieval micro-state in northern Italy.
| The Washington Post.