World tourism continues to grow, fuelled by steady economic growth and the continued development of both markets and destinations. In 2007, estimated growth in tourism arrivals across the world grew by 6.6% with the strongest growth shown in Asia & the Pacific: + 10.4% and the Middle East: +16.4%. European, on the other hand, at +4.8% continued to record below-average growth [1].
This below-average growth is attributed to Europe being a mature market, facing increased competition from new destinations and growing customer expectations of product and service quality. Clearly, therefore, Europe needs to raise its game through better management in order to compete and maintain growth in the future.
[1] UN World Tourism Organisation – June 2008
