FLASH: ECONOMIA E TURISMO

Dettagli

Pubblicato Domenica, 10 Agosto 2014 20:07

Europeans aged 65+ spent a third more on tourism in 2011 compared with 2006 Ageing and tourism in the European Union

The most recent Commission Communication on tourism, 'Europe, the world's No 1 tourist destination — a new political framework for tourism in Europe' — COM(2010)352, highlighted the challenges generated by the demographic trends in Europe and the need for the tourism sector to adapt quickly if it is to remain competitive.

The Communication underlines that people aged 65 or over (hereafter: '65+') have both purchasing power and leisure time. This represents significant market potential, but means that the sector needs to change to meet those people's needs.

This issue of Statistics in Focus takes a closer look at tourism trends and preferences in the European Union, with particular emphasis on the 65+ group. Figure 1 shows that between 2006 and 2011, a period during which the tourism sector was affected by the crisis, the 65+ age group contributed significantly to the sector's survival. In that period, the number of tourists dropped in all age groups except for the 65+, where 10 % more persons participated in tourism in 2011 than in 2006. Admittedly, this age group increased by 6 % over the period, but there is still a clear net effect. In 2011, the 65+ made 29 % more trips and 23 % more overnight stays than five years earlier. Their tourism expenditure grew by 33 % and accounted for 20 % of all tourism spending of Europeans, compared with just 15 % in 2006 (Il rapporto completo è scaricabile nella sezione Documenti).