Leading European city destinations by international arrivals 2016-2018
London again emerged as Europe’s top city destination, attracting 20.72 million international arrivals in 2018, up from 19.84 million international arrivals in 2017. Although London attracted more visitors during 2018 than it did during 2017, the gap between London and Paris narrowed slightly. In 2017, London welcomed 5.58 million more visitors than Paris, while in 2018 the gap fell to just 3.88 million international visitors.
London calling: appealing to younger visitors
An increase in overseas tourist spending has accompanied the rise in numbers of international arrivals. In 2008, international visitors to London spent 8.13 billion British pounds in the city. This rose to an impressive 16.27 billion British pounds in 2017, the first time that figure exceeded 14 billion British pounds, while slightly decreasing in 2019 to 15.73 million pounds.
Those aged 25-34 were the most prominent group among inbound travelers, with 4.52 million travelers within this age range visiting the city in 2018. Those aged 35-44 were close behind in terms of sheer visitor numbers, with 4.37 million such visitors arriving during 2018.
London accommodation profile
Hosting more international arrivals than any European city means London’s hotel industry must constantly operate at peak efficiency to accommodate the millions of tourists flocking to the city each year. Annual hotel occupancy reached 83 percent in 2018, a figure that is tipped to remain relatively stable until at least 2020. The average daily rate for a room was 149 British pounds as of 2018, while the revenue per available room (RevPAR) stood at 124 British pounds in the same year.
As well as traditional hotel services, short-stay rental services also play a major role in the city’s accommodation profile. In the year to July 2018, there were approximately 75,700 active Airbnb listings in London, an 18 percent increase on the year prior. These listings hosted 2.2 million guests in the year to July 2018, up from 2.1 million the year before.
London calling: appealing to younger visitors
An increase in overseas tourist spending has accompanied the rise in numbers of international arrivals. In 2008, international visitors to London spent 8.13 billion British pounds in the city. This rose to an impressive 16.27 billion British pounds in 2017, the first time that figure exceeded 14 billion British pounds, while slightly decreasing in 2019 to 15.73 million pounds.
Those aged 25-34 were the most prominent group among inbound travelers, with 4.52 million travelers within this age range visiting the city in 2018. Those aged 35-44 were close behind in terms of sheer visitor numbers, with 4.37 million such visitors arriving during 2018.
London accommodation profile
Hosting more international arrivals than any European city means London’s hotel industry must constantly operate at peak efficiency to accommodate the millions of tourists flocking to the city each year. Annual hotel occupancy reached 83 percent in 2018, a figure that is tipped to remain relatively stable until at least 2020. The average daily rate for a room was 149 British pounds as of 2018, while the revenue per available room (RevPAR) stood at 124 British pounds in the same year.
As well as traditional hotel services, short-stay rental services also play a major role in the city’s accommodation profile. In the year to July 2018, there were approximately 75,700 active Airbnb listings in London, an 18 percent increase on the year prior. These listings hosted 2.2 million guests in the year to July 2018, up from 2.1 million the year before.
