BRUSSELS — Europe is still the most visited region in the world, according to the latest report from the European Travel Commission, and Canada was a strong contributor with three-quarters of ETC destinations seeing an uptick from this market in 2018.

International tourist arrivals to Europe were up 6% year over year. The growth continues despite ongoing trade tensions, uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the economic slowdown in the Eurozone and China, says the ETC.

Nearly three out of four reporting destinations (21 out of 29) recorded some form of growth in arrivals or overnights from Canada based on 2018 year-to-date data.

Mediterranean countries recorded the highest growth rates from Canada, and cruise travel was partly to thank for the strong result. Greece (+77%) and Cyprus (+65%) saw significant increases from the Canadian market.

Turkey, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia and Poland recorded arrival increases in excess of 20%.

Latvia has slipped down the rankings since Q3 but still presented strong growth in overnights (+27%).

A different picture is seen in Finland and Slovakia, where overnights decreased 11% and 17% respectively.

Speaking following the launch of the report, Dana Welch, Chair of the ETC Canada Chapter said: “Delighted to see the strong year over year growth of 7% from Canada to Europe. The numbers prove the affinity Canadians have for Europe; it’s vibrant cities, heritage and culture.”