European Cities Marketing and MKG confirm the good health of the hotel industry

European Cities Marketing and MKG confirm the good health of the hotel industry in Europe since the beginning of 2015

The results from the latest ECM-MKG European Destinations Observatory report* are in.
With an occupancy rate of 71% throughout the European Union at the end of three quarters in 2015, hotel chains gained 2 points over 2014 at the same period. Performances on the continent show an increase over last year thanks to growth in the ADR** (+3.5%) and a RevPAR*** up by 6.4%. Some destinations produced better results, depending on their geographic location. Once again the assortment of events held in some cities played a key role in the success of their performances.

Southern Europe cities are performing well. Italian cities’ results are driven by events.
The hospitality industry of San Sebastian, Seville, Zaragoza and Bilbao, all in the top 10 of RevPAR growth, is having a good year. Madrid and Malaga are following this trend too, with double-digit RevPAR growth by 11.8% and 12.1% respectively.
Meanwhile, with “EXPO Milano” (from May 1 till October 31), the city of Milan expects to welcome over 20 million visitors. For the moment, the city has experienced the strongest growth in RevPAR in Europe. Other cities in Italy record good results too with Venice and Turin; the city of romance saw its ADR rise by over 19% (helped by the “Biennale di Venezia“) leading to a RevPAR up by 17.3%, while the RevPAR in the capital of the Piedmont region increased by 12.3%. Bologna records similar results as Turin, but Rome is the only Italian city in this sample to be on a downtrend (RevPAR: -7.5%).

Following the trend of the first semester most Western Europe cities have good RevPAR results. UK main cities shine by their occupancy rates.
The United Kingdom cities continue to keep the lead in terms of occupancy rate with 84.4% for London, the main business destination in Europe, while Edinburgh is still in second position. But, from the beginning of the year, the RevPAR for these two cities followed a negative trend due to respective decreases in ADR by 4.5% and 4.6%.
In Germany, only Dusseldorf and Nuremberg recorded a downtrend in RevPAR. With solid business tourism, Stuttgart (Intergeo 2015), Cologne (IAW 2015) and Berlin (CMS 2015) saw their RevPAR increase.
In France, only Paris is on a slight downtrend, with a RevPAR down by 0.9%. Other cities in the country record good performances, Lille organised “EuroBasket 2015“, Cannes and Nice welcomed events and congresses, Bordeaux and Lyon had a good summer after business events in the first half of the year.
Benelux stayed on the right track from the beginning of the year, with a significant number of political events and meetings to explain its good performance. Brussels and Amsterdam respectively recorded a 6.4% and 7.3% increase in their RevPAR, while Luxembourg has the strongest RevPAR growth in this area (+14.8%).

Scandinavian and Eastern Europe cities also stay on a positive trend.
In Scandinavia, all cities are on a positive trend except Copenhagen and Helsinki showing a relative stabilisation in their RevPAR. Oslo and Stockholm record a combined increase in occupancy rate and ADR.
In Eastern Europe, international events improved results; Warsaw with “International Building & Interiors Exhibition 2015” produced growth in its RevPAR by 9.5%, since the beginning of the year. But, Budapest records the best RevPAR increase in this area (+12.5%) while Prague’s results remained stable (+0.6%).

All ECM members have exclusive access to the complete ECM-MKG European Destinations Observatory report with all the graphs and analysis.

Realising the European Single Market Forum 2012:

Realising the European Single Market Forum 2012:

Will proposed changes to contract law & redress routes increase consumer & business confidence in Europe?
6th March 2012, Le Chatelain Hotel, Brussels
Featuring a Keynote Address by Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship
To register, please go to http://www.european-single-market.eu. You can also contact James Wilmott on james.wilmott@forum-europe.com / +44 (0) 2920 783 022 for further information.

This year’s event will focus on a number of recent proposals from the European Commission, most notably those relating to the introduction of an optional Common European Sales Law (CESL). These proposals cover both business-to-business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) contracts for the sale of goods and related services, with the intention of creating a single set of rules that can be used during these transactions instead of national sets of laws.
This conference will also explore the current proposals for Collective Redress, Alternative Dispute Resolution/Online Dispute Resolution and the review of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (due Spring 2012).

Speakers Include:
Viviane Reding
European Commissioner
Justice, Fundamental Rights & Citizenship

Ursula Pachl
BEUC

Maurits Bruggink
Seldia

Susanne Czech
EMOTA

Veronica Manfredi
European Commission

Further Information:
More than 100 delegates already registered! To guarantee your place at this event, please register.

Other Speakers Include:
– Mihalea Carpus Carcea, Policy Officer, DG Justice, European Commission
– Hanne Melin, European Legislative Counsel, eBay
–  Jules Stuyck, Faculty of Law, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
– Lewis Crofts, Chief Antitrust Correspondent, MLex
– Eddy De Smijter, Deputy Head of Unit A1, Private Enforcement, DG Competition, European Commission
– Sebastian Bohr, Deputy Head of Unit – Financial Services and Redress, DG SANCO, European Commission
– Pula Houghton, Director of Public Policy & Consumer Markets, Which?

What will be discussed?

The Optional CESL – a project too far or the enabler for cross-border trade in Europe?

Will the creation of a single set of optional rules for sales contracts meet the objective of increasing cross-border trade in Europe? Will the parallel and optional nature of the regulation create more choice or as it is argued, more uncertainty? What will the impact be on legal costs and will issues such as the variations between member state VAT rules and cultural dimensions such as language always present barriers to cross-border trade that cannot be overcome? Can the CESL develop to become a gold standard used as a mark of trust and quality, and will the inclusion of digital goods be key in driving forward cross border e-commerce?
Ensuring a functioning system for redress in Europe – Collective Redress, Class Actions & Alternative Dispute Resolution

Collective redress and ADR are seen as key routes to creating a more efficient redress system in Europe. This session will explore issues such as whether consumer ADR outcomes should be binding and in what sectors if any should mandatory ADR be imposed? Should different ADR approaches be taken when dealing with consumer and SME complaints and how should ADR and collective redress function together?
Unfair Commercial Practices Directive – has maximum harmonisation worked?

The European Commission is currently working on a report reviewing the application of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive that is due in the spring of 2012. Have Member States transposed the Directive correctly and what have the main transposition problems been? What are the main areas of abuse by rogue traders? Do new practices need to be tackled and do small businesses require equal protection? Should the UCPD cover B2B as well as B2C transactions and how would this operate in practice?

Will legislative work in these areas support or hinder improvements in consumer and business confidence, and by extension boost economic growth in Europe?

Conference Partners:
The conference is Hosted by Seldia and EMOTA and is supported by eBay.

The Knowledge Partner for this event is Strategis Communications.
Forum Europe has launched its new website at http://www.forum-europe.com where you can find our full list of events and services.

For further details regarding any of Forum Europe’s events or for details on working with Forum Europe, please contact James Wilmott on +44 (0) 2920 783 022 or email james.wilmott@forum-europe.com