Brussels, March 16 The European tourism industry was hit dramatically due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 as accommodation in tourist establishments decreased by half compared to the previous year, the bloc's statistical office Eurostat said.
Eurostat said on Monday that the figure was a 52 per cent drop compared to 2019, reports Xinhua news agency.
Among all EU members, Cyprus, Greece and Malta have seen the biggest slump by over 70 per cent last year, whereas the Netherlands and Denmark decreases were less than 30 per cent.
The data showed the EU domestic tourism recovered faster than international tourism as the coronavirus containment measures had made travelling abroad much more difficult than domestic travelling.
The overnight stays in tourist accommodation establishments by foreign tourists dropped by 68 per cent in 2020 while the stays by domestic tourists fell by 38 per cent, according to Eurostat.
Besides, among the different types of accommodations, hotels in the EU were worst hit by the pandemic followed by rented holiday accommodations, while campsites were much less affected.
( With inputs from IANS )
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