About this reportThis report profiles the five most valuable outbound tourism markets in Europe, selected on the basis of their levels of travel expenditure abroad: in 2002, their citizens spent a combined total of €151,146 million worldwide.
In terms of tourist trips (that is, those constituting journeys abroad involving at least one overnight stay) Germany, the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands almost certainly constitute the top five outbound markets.
Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia may appear to generate a greater volume of trips, but their statistics are deceptive, swollen by incorporating border crossings and daytrips.
There are plenty of European countries that score higher in the propensity-to-travel stakes - Switzerland, Sweden and Hungary to name but three - but the five markets selected generate the greatest travel flows and have the most extensive and valuable travel industries.
Emerging markets such as Russia may be growing faster, but in Europe the select five markets are the most sought-after of the world's competing destinations.