EUROPEAN COMMISSION Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME)Unit A1 COSMEContact:Valentino Izzo European CommissionB-1049 Brussels Research Snapshot on the USTravel Market 2018 Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*)The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes orhotels may charge you). LEGAL NOTICE This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only ofthe authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2018 ISBN978-92-9202-338-6DOI:10.2826/86625EA-04-18-164-EN-N © European Union, 2018 AUTHOR OF THE STUDYTCI Research Table of content 1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................................................21.1 Country overview.............................................................................................................................................................................................2 2. Economic overview..........................................................................................................................................................................3 2.1 National economy.............................................................................................................................................................................................32.2 Spending power.................................................................................................................................................................................................52.3 Online resources for further reading.......................................................................................................................................................7 3.1 Regulatory environment of tourism.........................................................................................................................................................83.1.1 Government’s role in travel and tourism...........................................................................................................................................83.1.2 Passports and visa regulations................................................................................................................................................................93.1.3 Holiday entitlement...................................................................................................................................................................................123.2 Online resources for further reading....................................................................................................................................................13 4.1 Structure of the travel trade......................................................................................................................................................................144.2 Online resources for further reading....................................................................................................................................................17 5. Nature of outbound trips.............................................................................................................................................................18 5.1 Peak times in summer months for Europe, but not for other regions...................................................................................195.2 Italy holds the second highest market share, previously held by France.............................................................................205.3 Vacation/holiday up, while other main trip purposes down–for Europe..........................................................................215.4 Growing number of seasoned U.S. travellers visiting Europe....................................................................................................215.5 Traditional Travel Agencies are used less for trip planning and booking but are still viable in the market........225.6 The typical American leisure visitor experience in Europe........................................................................................................22 6. Recommendations for European tourism suppliers on how to do business with US operators......................26 6.2 Challenge: Capacity crunch in Europe's top destinations...........................................................................................................276.3Challenge: Competition from other regional destinations....