Summer tourism in Europe reached record numbers and revenue.

Portugal

The Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Negócios wrote: Summer holidays are becoming increasingly expensive. A trend felt across Europe, but it hasn't stopped tourists, who would rather forgo buying cars and clothes than cut back on travel.

According to the article, this year, tourists from the UK, Spain, and Germany continue to flock to Portugal for their summer holidays, with increasing numbers from the US and Canada. In the accommodation sector alone, profits per room have reached historical highs in Lisbon and Porto, with hotel prices rising by 31%. On average, after deducting all expenses, hotel owners are making a profit of 65 euros per room per night.

Spain

In Spain, the unusually hot summer did not dampen tourist numbers. According to El Economista, hotel occupancy rates reached 93%, room rates increased by 15% compared to last summer, and last-minute bookings were 20-30% more expensive. The article explains that the main reason is the surge in demand, but also partly due to the current inflationary environment.

France

In just the last two summer months, France earned 65 billion euros from tourism, more than the 58 billion euros earned last summer. Le Figaro reported that the number of French people on domestic holidays remained as high as last year, while the number of foreign visitors arriving in France on long-haul flights increased by 29%. According to the newspaper, the number of Asian tourists to France more than doubled compared to last year, but the increase was insignificant, due to the very low levels seen previously.

This summer, tourism in France is booming, partly thanks to favorable conditions. The biggest shift in the tourist season is climate change, which has caused customers to change their choice of vacation destinations: mountain holidays have never sold as well as they have this summer.

Switzerland

Throughout this past scorching summer, each European country sought to promote tourism in a different way. The Swiss Times quoted a tourism official as saying: "The hot weather is a risk, but also an opportunity. We want to promote the blue lakes of Switzerland. For those who don't like the heat, a holiday by the Swiss lakes is safer than going to the sea." Swiss cities are adopting a new strategy, emphasizing that tourists can swim in the lakes. Geneva even declared itself a lakeside resort city.

Like other European countries, Switzerland has also recorded its highest ever number of tourists in a landlocked country with only mountains and lakes.