The share of international guests is higher in Southern European hotel markets, but a focus on non-European guests draws a different picture.

　　The rising share of international guests in the clientele-mix of European hotels has been a key trend in recent years. So where are we standing today in each of the five biggest European hotel markets?

　　Spain can boast the highest share of international guests: they generate 63.6% of overnights spent in the country. Behind Spain, Italy (48%) stands above the UK (40.3%), France (34.1%) and Germany (22.5%). Germany has the largest population (80.5 million inhabitants) among the 5 countries, hence the weight of its domestic market (77.5% of overnights). This is also tied to the traditional profile of Germany as a departure country rather than a destination one for leisure guests, a trend that is evolving given the current rising trend of leisure demand in the country (read our article). In contrast, the higher share of international clientele in Southern Europe is closely tied to the fact that many clients from Northern Europe flock to their shores each summer.

　　And in fact, the international profile of the Spanish hotel industry has been, so far, driven by the presence of clienteles from the continent: whereas European guests generate 55% of total nights spent in Spain, long-haul guests only generate 8.8%.

　　Among the 5 largest hotel markets in Europe, the United Kindgom has the highest share of non-european guests: 16.5% of total nights spent. If Europe is regarded as a single market, or on comparison purposes with large-size markets such as the United States, the UK turns out to be the most internationalized hotel market, above Italy (13.6%) and France (11.6%).

　　Dynamics can be different depending on source markets considered. American guests account for a higher share of overall demand in the UK (6.8%), Italy (4.4%) and France (3.9%). Asian guests also generate a higher share of nights in the UK (4.6%), with France slightly below (3.9%) and above Italy. In contrast, guests from Russia, Ukraine and Turkey are not much present in the UK, Germany and France, but account for more than 2.5% of roomnights spent in both Italy and Spain.