Based on final data, the balance of travel services in January-September 2019 posted a surplus of €14,095 million, up 12.7% from a surplus of €12,507 million in January-September 2018. This development was due to the stronger increase in travel receipts (up €1,995 million or 14.1%) than in travel payments (up €407 million or 25.3%). The rise in travel receipts in January-September 2019 compared with the same period of 2018 was driven by a rise in average expenditure per trip by €61 or 12.3% (January-September 2019: €559, January-September 2018: €498), as well as by a 1.7% increase in the number of non-resident inbound visitors.

Specifically, expenditure per overnight stay rose by 10.7% (January-September 2019: €77, January-September 2018: €70), while the average length of stay increased by 1.5% year-on-year to 7.3 nights. Τotal overnight stays rose by 3.1% to 209,349 thousand in January-September 2019, from 202,974 thousand in January-September 2018.

Travel receipts

In January-September 2019, travel receipts totalled €16,107 million, up by 14.1% relative to the same period of 2018. This development was driven by a 12.8% increase in receipts from residents of the EU28, which came to €11,100 million or 68.9% of total travel receipts, and by a 17.8% rise in receipts from residents outside the EU28 to €4,625 million.

In particular, receipts from euro area residents increased by 9.3% year-on-year to €6,883 million, while receipts from residents of non-euro area EU28 countries increased by 19.0% to €4,217 million.

Among major countries of origin, receipts from Germany fell by 0.9% to €2,565 million, whereas receipts from France increased by 18.4% to €997 million. Receipts from the United Kingdom also increased, by 35.8% to €2,367 million. Turning to non-EU28 countries, receipts from the United States rose by 22.8% to €1,011 million, while receipts from Russia increased by 21.3% to €373 million.

Read more: Tornos