Sports Fans Are Flocking To Europe, Driving Up Their Inbound Tourism

Europe is the dream continent for many; everyone wants to visit Europe to witness its beautiful monuments, pleasant weather, scenic lakes and landscapes and much more. However, did you know that a good amount of people travel to Europe for sports?

Sports Tourism for EU

Reports suggest that, in 2024, Europe is all set to break previous records of inbound tourism. Reason? The UEFA European Football Championship 2024 taking place in Germany and the Olympics and Paralympics scheduled to be held in France.

ForwardKeys reports that for July and August of 2024, European international arrivals are set to be 12% higher than the global average. “This growth is driven primarily by intra-regional travel – up 10% compared to 2023 – and a significant influx of visitors from long-haul markets in Asia Pacific (11%) and the USA (21%),” stated ForwardKeys.

Internet data, too, supports the claim, as flight and hotel searches for Europe have increased, highlighting an increased interest in Europe, especially for places where these sports events are being organised. Germany’s Munich is seeing an increase of 37% in its tourism due to the football championship, whereas nearby places like Vienna, Edinburgh, Madrid, and Venice have seen an increase of 23%, 19%, 16%, and 16%, respectively.

Adding on, ForwardKeys reported, “While medium-length stays continue to represent the majority of arrivals within the region (63%), short trips of one to three night show the highest growth during 2023 at 23%, accounting for 16% of all attitudes. Long trips – over two weeks – see more modest growth at 5%.”