Covid is a story of the past for the vast majority of countries around the Mediterranean. As a reminder, the pandemic had severely paralyzed tourism, an essential activity for the region. The recovery was much faster than expected, driven in particular by the phenomenon of “revenge travel”, many travelers carrying out the stay that they had not been able to do during the Covid period.
This appetite for travel is accelerating. Spain, the world’s second largest tourist destination behind France, is expected to break its record for tourist revenue and attendance this year according to estimates from the employers’ organization Exceltur. Spanish tourism GDP will “for the first time” exceed 200 billion euros in 2024, an increase of 8.6% compared to 2023 which was already a record year.
“Instagram” photos of Santorini
Tourism activity, a pillar of the country’s economy, would then account for 13.3% of the entire Spanish GDP. In 2023, Spain received a record 85.1 million international tourists, mainly British, French and German.
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Further east, Greece is also breaking all its records in this area. The country welcomed nearly 33 million foreign visitors last year, more than in 2019, the reference year before the pandemic. The “Instagram” effect is here. Known worldwide for its sunset, the island of Santorini, population 10,000, received more than two million visitors last year. This influx of foreign currencies boosts the country’s economy, which has one of the highest growth rates in Europe.
Antalya and its 15 million visitors
Croatia, certain regions of Italy, Morocco, Egypt and Turkey are also obtaining results never before achieved. The latter country benefits from a massive influx of Russian tourists, banned from traveling to most European countries. Antalya, a seaside resort on the Turkish Riviera, has become one of the most visited cities in the world with 15.6 million tourists welcomed last year.
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On the Turkish side, this growth could however be thwarted by the high inflation that the country is experiencing. Tour operator Tui is seeing many “empty rooms” as summer approaches. “To counter this phenomenon, many Turkish hoteliers are already offering significant discounts, of up to 40% of prices,” explains Tui.
The massive return of travelers does not always please, especially the local populations. To the point that the authorities sometimes put measures in place against “hypertourism”. Greece will thus control the number of people visiting the Acropolis site in Athens, while high-impact day tourists must now pay five euros to visit Venice.
