Might explain the crowds: most visited countries in 2023

Very interesting, thank you. A lot of the comments the last few years has been about the growing size of the crowds, and the article doesnt go into that factor. So France at 100 million might be less than 2019, dont know. The next question would be, are people going to the same places within the country this years, as they did in previous years? But its a start, again, thank you.

Would be interesting to see visitors per sq km, then France, Spain, Italy and the UK would be all fairly similar. Surely Finland has the fewest visitors per sq km in Europe.

Interesting questions, Mr. E and Tom_MN. I found this from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

In 2019, 90 million international tourists visited France to discover our rich natural and architectural heritage and to enjoy our world-renowned hospitality and way of life. In France, tourism accounts for 8% of GDP.

I seem to remember reading, anecdotally, that France is "always" #1.

As to whether people are going to the same places, we are among those who go back to the same countries every year (Switzerland, Italy, UK) and some of the same favorite places, but we always work in new locations as well. We have noticed that some areas we have frequented for a decade or more are more crowded: Ortisei with more English speakers than 12 years ago when we first visited, Lauterbrunnen/Greater Jungfrau Region just plain more crowded. Americans were particularly prominent in Lauterbrunnen and environs in 2021 when travel returned. The head of the tourism office there told me they had been inundated like never before. (OTOH he was done a phenomenal job of promoting the area pictorially on social media.) In 2022, large groups from Asia came back en masse when those countries reopened after the pandemic.

Our Italy book is outselling the Swiss book by two-to-one this year. In 2022, the Swiss book had about 30% more sales. I doubt that is an accurate predictor but requests for travel help here on the Forum might be an interesting data dive.

Going to totally different counties and places than before. The usual grounds, are now over run. Glad we got to see them, the usual list, 20 years ago. :) That elephant in the room, has just as much a right to travel as anyone else did.

Heads up when discussing crowds: These numbers in the article are just the numbers of "inbound tourism" - not tourism in total. In Germany appr. 80% of visitors are domestic (not counted here).

Also motorhome tourism, private accomodation and apartment rentals are not included in these numbers.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/655070/tourist-arrivals-domestic-and-foreign-by-state-germany/

One thing to keep in mind is school groups are out and about during the month of May, so, if you're hoping to avoid the crowds, then April to early May (perhaps) and once the kids are in school in August-September is the time to travel. It really is a LOT more enjoyable when you're not dealing with large crowds.

Francis, I'm right there with you.

Just noticed the Tour de France begins June 29 and runs through July 21, and then comes the Olympics. Yowzah!

It's always a challenging topic to get a FULL picture of tourism with a single set of data or different sets tracking different metrics.

I always think of the metric of the US being 3rd or 5th or whatever in rankings. It likely is something like 3rd behind France in foreign visits, but in some way that doesn't matter at all to someone from anywhere (the US or abroad) trying to visit Yosemite NP in the summer. That NP is full to the brim with local, regional, and folks from other parts of the US, so it is flat out "crowded" with "tourists", just not necessarily "international" tourists. The 3.5+million visitors to Yosemite NP each year is a LOT. The Louvre's 7.5M is a LOT. Pretty much any "focused" spot is a LOT - years ago and seemingly more so nowadays.

Same with anywhere else in the world. I bet China and India (at 1B+ folks each) have tourism numbers far exceeding anything France can see, but since it all just Chinese or Indian folks moving around their own country for a trip/break/vacation, those don't count yet surely generate huge crowds in their own right. IOW, India might not be a top tier international travel spot, but you can be the Taj Mahal (and Agra) is jam packed with tourists.

once the kids are in school in August-September

Starting school in August is mostly a Southern US thing, it's actually against state law in my state to start school in August (although there are waivers given). In Europe schools are usually out mid-July to end of August. June is still school group travel season in Europe because everyone is still in school. For the whole month of August there is usually no school.

Tom, thanks for specifying. That's helpful to someone, I'm sure.

I'll just add that I like starting school in August and ending before Memorial Day. Anyway, spring and fall are calling me to travel during those times. I've paid my dues traveling when everyone else does during the summer. What a luxury it is now to avoid the peak travel times.

Apparently, according to a WSJ article today, the Americans are fueling a surge in Euro tourism.

But not everywhere and certainly - IMO - just representative of the increase, not the sole reason. IOW, Americans, with the continued strongest economy and many folks with money to burn, are obviously going to be out spending that in disproportion to folks from less strong economies.

It claim Americans surpassed Spaniards to be the #1 visitors to Portugal(!) - "Americans recently surpassed Spaniards as the biggest group of foreign tourists." - and I can sort of believe that but wonder how they track Spaniards criss crossing a shared border (no passport required) vs American mostly flying in? Seems tenuous to me - even if pulling hotel records where, again, Americans would be almost all staying overnight, Spaniards or others might have friends/family to stay with or day trip it.

In any case, it will be interesting to see if this is a crest of a wave or a more permanent upward trend.

From 2023 numbersfor Portugal tourism UK visitors are still leading after Spanish ones (chart).

It is true that as rough as things are economically for many people in the U.S., it still has the most powerful economy in the world.

But, wages are well below inflation averaged over the past three years, thus the middle and lower class is struggling.

Big Mike, first, I love your name.... And I agree with you completely. The "booming economy" is not happening for everyone.

It is true that as rough as things are economically for many people in
the U.S., it still has the most powerful economy in the world.

So imagine what its like in places with weaker economies? And no, just because they are Europeans doesnt mean that they make a living wage. Where I live and further south and east, I guarantee they dont. Tough couple of years.

Every rose has its thorn.

Jessica Ribeiro, a 35-year-old sociologist, pays around €490 a month for an apartment that she shares with her ex-husband in a town close to Lisbon. Neither can afford to leave. Both make a little more than the minimum wage of €820 a month, and soaring rents mean it is impossible to find an apartment in the neighborhood for less than €700, Ribeiro said.

“The harm that tourism has brought is infinitely bigger than the benefits,” Ribeiro said. “It sends people away from their place of work, making their lives much harder.”

A frequent complaint from residents and housing advocates is that some of the boom’s biggest winners are American companies, from Airbnb to Uber, which often pay little tax in the places where they do most of their business.

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/europe-tourism-economy-american-tourists-f6112f78

BigMikeWestByGodVirginia, that may all be very true. But I am a cynic and I would want to know a lot more about them before I began to have an opinion. But assuming its all correct, you have seen my gripe often enough to know what it is: “in Europe they …. “ That never holds true.

I can say with complete certainty that the overwhelming majority of the taxes generated by an AirBnb in my city, stay in my city. That isnt even questioable.

As for the negative impact in my city. Let’s go back 20 years to when a substantial number of the units were owned as a result of having inherited them from the communist system. I toured a lot of them 20 years ago and they were substantially below what one would find acceptable today. 1 electrical circuit for the entire flat so at least no AC, no washer or dryer was possible either. Very questionable heating systems usually involving open flame heaters. But certainly “affordable” but many didn’t want that life and the trend was to move to the country if they could find a buyer.

The flats were in the state that they were in because no one in their right mind throws good money after bad money. Then through outside investment the property values came up and it made sense to rewire the flats and provide modern conveniences. Those that stayed (maybe half if you include inheritance) now had value to borrow against for upgrades and repairs. Outside investors helped to rebuild neighborhoods to modern standards. I know one gentleman that owned two flats in a building and for the sake of his business, repainted the outside of the building. As part of his renovation he rebuilt the gas service to the building (required by code). That never would have happened without the investment. Most often these businesses pay a higher common cost as well, which goes to the improvement of the building for the locals.

Today >90% of the people in this country live in a home that is OWNED by one of the occupants of the home. So in this situation there does not appear to be a shortage of housing. But to be fair, extended families are more culturally common here so that skews the numbers vs the US.

They did pull back on short-term rental licenses a few years ago, property values plummeted. The citizens, because by and large they owned the properties went back to the polls and revised the law and property values are on the rise again.

Every short-term rental is licensed, pays business tax. They are brought up to current safety and building codes when renovated or even to get a license. They are Inspected for compliance and get a score that has to be put in the marketing and on the door (1,2 or 3 star). Buildings can change the rules to exclude new units and eliminate old units if they change hands.

If I were to rent my home long term, I could get maybe 900 euro a month for it, but I could go 2km further out on the metro line and rent the same flat for 650 euro. I have a friend who chose a 30-minute commute on public transportation to live in a larger flat than mine that is 550 euro, furnished, bills and common cost included. In many ways a nicer neighborhood as well. The average rent in the city center is 580 euro and out of the center 412 euro.

The average salary here is about $1100/mo (before tips). So about half their income goes to rent and utilities. Medical is free and transportation is about $30 a month. So they have $500 left over for life, and that has about the same purchasing power as $750 in Texas.

My conclusion is that I am a guest here. These are my perceptions but perceptions arent always correct. It’s a democracy and they get to choose what they do and do not value most.

Mr. E., thank you for that illuminating post. Once again I learned something from you, and with some depth to it.

On a side note, I would've probably accepted a 30-minute commute for better quality of life or less expensive rent, but 30 minutes would be about my limit in that regard. I've had long commutes and glad those days are over.

Here it is a short walk to the metro, then you sit back and relax. One thing I dont miss is driving everyplace. I walk out my door and down the street and always run into someone I know. In the states, its house to car to store and back to house. Isolated. This is a better lifstyle.

But I talked about one city. Thats an important distinction. Other places are going to be different. Some really bad I assume, maybe some better. Short term rentals havent destroyed the inner cities of Europe. They may have hurt some inner cities. But that begs the question, why dont the locals legislate it if it is so bad? Could it be that it destroys something for the minority and improves more for the majority? Even democracy isnt completely fair. But until someone comes up with a better system. Still, if you are a vested citizen, even in the minority, its your right, your obligation even, to fight for what you think is right.

The best of intentions of someone living in NYC who read on line that this and that is the truth can do more harm than good. Best to express a concern and leave it at that.

Wait a minute Mr E. By the way you have always been interesting to read and give people exact information, but you don't live under a democratic rule. I know you are a visitor and that makes a huge difference, but the politics of Hungary leaves a lot to be desired. Very hard to predict the future of the country or city people live in.