With hundreds of sights and a total of 45 countries, the European continent is one of the most diverse destinations for summer holidays.
According to the SchengenVisaInfo Europe Summer Tourism Index, Spain is the number one destination to visit for summer vacations in 2024. The country stood out for its beaches, friendliness, and popularity, VisaGuide.World reports.
The ETSI Index, which takes into account the popularity, nature and friendliness of a country, among others, has found that Liechtenstein and Switzerland are the least preferred destinations to spend summer vacations in 2024.
Spain Is Europe’s Best Destination for Summer Holidays in 2024
Spain has been recognised as the best destination for tourists to spend their summer holidays in 2024. The country scored the highest among 45 countries in the European continent, standing out for its popularity and nature.
Spain has the highest record in the world for clean and safe beaches. More than 600 Spanish beaches have received a Blue Flag – an internationally recognised award granted to shores with stringent environmental, safety, and accessibility standards.
As per expenses, surprisingly, Spain rather falls into the category of countries with lower weekly costs than expensive ones. Out of 46 countries, Spain is the 26th least expensive countries to spend a seven-day vacation in the summer.
The Best Summer Tourism Countries for 2024 Include Italy, Greece, Türkiye & Portugal
Thanks to its exceptional cuisine and lovely nature, Italy ranks second on this list. The country has gained a high score for popularity, beaches, and friendly people, especially standing out for culinary.
However, Italy’s weekly costs are not the most favourable, as it ranks as the 16th most expensive destination on this list. As per the weather conditions, after Spain and Cyprus, Italy has the highest score for average temperatures.
Like Spain, Greece is renowned for its beautiful beaches, 618 of which have a blue flag. That is why, Greece is the second country with the highest score for beaches in Europe.
The country also ranks second for culinary. Greece ties with Italy and France for popularity, all three sharing the same score. But spending a week in Greece is not the cheapest, considering that the country is listed as eighth most expensive in the European continent.
Nonetheless, Türkiye, which is third in this ranking, has a combination of everything; cuisine, beaches, and popularity but lacks in friendliness and good weather. In terms of expenses, a one-week stay in Türkiye is not the most expensive as it would be in Switzerland and Liechtenstein or the cheapest as it is in Kosovo and Belarus. Türkiye ranks as the 22nd tourism destination for affordability in the summer of 2024.
Out of all five countries on this list, Portugal ranks best for being an affordable destination. It is the 22nd cheapest country to spend a seven-day vacation this summer. The country ranks high for its cuisine, friendly people, nice weather and stunning beaches.
Regardless, in terms of popularity and recognition, Portugal is listed as seventh, falling behind the countries mentioned previously as well as France and Croatia.
Liechtenstein & Switzerland Are the Least Recommended Countries for Summer Tourism
With the lowest score in this category, Lichtenstein and Switzerland are the countries that come up as the least convenient countries to spend your vacation in this summer.
The fact that these two countries, along with 11 others, have no beaches, could impact their ranking on this list. However, the two-neighbouring countries also rank relatively low in popularity, do not have the best weather and most importantly, are the most expensive countries to visit on this list.
Altogether with France, the three countries are the most expensive to spend a one-week stay there during the summer season.
Along with Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Iceland and Andorra represent the five countries with the lowest score in this ranking.