by As the Covid pandemic and subsequent cost-of-living crisis threatened to wipe out much of the travel industry, companies held on to one core belief: People were desperate for a vacation and would spend whatever they could to get away.
So it turned out. But now, with business booming and demand reaching new highs, parts of the world are wondering whether people want to travel a little too much.
After a long, hot summer in which locals from the Canary Islands to Venice decided they had welcomed more than enough tourists, even Greece announced a new visitor tax last month.
The €20 (£17) levy only affects cruise passengers landing in Mykonos and Santorini, where visitors outnumber locals by more than 100 to one on the whitewashed streets; But for a country heavily dependent on international tourism, even such a selective tax seemed significant.
Related: “Everywhere full”: Mayor of Santorini warns of overtourism crisis
Travel companies argue that the problems behind the collective headlines about overtourism are often specific and local in nature. And Greece is certainly continuing to woo more tourists even as it tries to spread the excitement: this week the country is hosting the UK’s leading travel industry event, the Abta travel conference, in a south relatively unknown to Brits. Western Peloponnese.
Responsible, sustainable travel is on the congress agenda, although the mainstream tourism industry – apart from cruise ships – has not necessarily been the focus of protests or local anger.
The millions of British customers who book trips with companies like Tui or easyJet Holidays, choosing resorts and existing hotels, appear to be less of a problem than, say, the Airbnbs gobbling up local accommodation in Barcelona or Málaga – at least until their numbers grow further pulls.
Nevertheless, more and more customers are paying ever higher amounts for their holidays, apparently unimpressed by local dislikes or heat waves.
Companies are celebrating a third consecutive summer of growth – a marked difference from Abta’s first post-Covid summit abroad in 2022, which was billed as a “survival celebration” by Abta’s chief executive Mark Tanzer. There are signs it was also a fruitful September, with many holidaymakers – outside the school-constrained family market – seeking less intense sunshine.
When it comes to sustainability, holidaymakers don’t noticeably vote with their feet. As one industry representative puts it: ‘Are they booking Scandinavia?’ Probably not.’
Surveys show that when asked, consumers express concerns about both overtourism and the environment, making sustainable travel a hot topic and a selling point for companies offering alternatives. However, at a macro level, it is not clear that they are voting with their feet in any discernible way. As one industry insider puts it: “Are they booking Scandinavia?” Probably not.”
Figures from Iata, the global aviation association, show demand for flights has increased year on year. In August there were at least 10% more passengers in the air than last year and planes were fuller than ever. And Abta’s new ‘confidence index’ shows consumer sentiment around travel is better compared to last year.
Among the clouds on the horizon this year is the long-delayed launch of the EU entry-exit system (EES), whose introduction was until recently scheduled for a date that would leave much of the UK travel industry in a long queue for biometric registration would have brought Kalamata airport.
The launch of the EES, which requires facial scans and fingerprints of all visitors to Europe, is now officially scheduled for November, but a further delay appears likely. The additional border formalities will be followed within a year by the European Travel Information and Authorization System – a visa fee of €7.
While the biggest concern revolved around the logistics and costs of reorganizing borders and avoiding chaos, the Abta Index also found that the most important factor for safe travel cited by customers is knowing that their documents are in order. A recent Abta conference call on EES was attended by numerous members who were keen to know more.
And the industry is also keen to address another post-Brexit border issue: the end of simple seasonal job postings and the disappearance of thousands of entry-level jobs abroad; There are now fewer than 4,000 British nationals working in tourism in the EU, 70% fewer than in 2017, with the youngest disproportionately affected.
Many of the executives who met this week got their first jobs as chalet hosts or resort representatives and hope successful talks between the UK and EU over a youth mobility program can restore that pathway for a new generation.
