European tourism bookings online so far in 2022 are higher than before the pandemic

Oct 4 (Reuters) – Short-term rentals booked online in the European Union exceeded 2019 levels every month from February 2022, the European Union’s statistics office said on Tuesday.

Short stays booked online via Airbnb (ABNB.O)Booking.com (BKNG.O)Tripadvisor (TRIP.O)and Expedia (EXPE.O) in the EU’s most popular destination countries recovered almost fully above pre-pandemic levels, the office said, with the biggest increase recorded in February and May, up 10.9% and 5.6%, respectively, compared to 2019.

The tourism industry has taken a hit in 2020 due to closures and travel restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

France recorded the largest increase – among the nine EU countries with more than 10 million nights spent in 2019 – with growth of 31% compared to 2019 levels.

By contrast, growth in Italy and Austria was more limited, but within reach of their pre-pandemic levels, the statistics office said.

Compared to figures for the first half of 2021, bookings of short-term rental accommodation totaled almost 200 million overnight stays in 2022, up around 138%, according to Eurostat.

Reporting by Dina Kartit, editing by Frank Jack Daniel

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