In 2015, Bordeaux saw its tourist numbers increase by 13%. In 2016, the Croatian city of Zadar did even better, with an increase of 25%. What both cities have in common is that they were crowned as Europe's top destination in votes held by the European tourism promotion organization, "European Best Destinations." The 2022 edition of this ranking has now been released.
In recent weeks, the tourism promotion offices of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, not to mention the Belgian city of Leuven, or countries such as Turkey (GoTürkiye) or France (Atout France), have called on their Twitter followers to support their candidate city for the title of "European Best Destination 2022." This competition to promote European tourism was created in 2009.
At a crucial time for the recovery of tourism after two years of pandemic, this shout out for support was far from insignificant. Initially, 400 destinations were in the running but, in the end, 20 cities from the Old Continent won the support of internet users in this vast poll launched by "European Best Destinations." The top 10 spots were won by Ljubljana (Slovenia) at number one, followed by Marbella (Spain), Amiens (France), Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Leuven (Belgium), Oradea (Romania), London (United Kingdom), Nijmegen (Netherlands), the Lahti region (Finland) and Istanbul (Turkey).
A total of 528,069 votes from 182 countries worldwide were registered between January 20 and February 10. Europeans evidently preached for their parish, but not only. 44% of votes were cast outside European borders. For example, 3% of votes came from China, where travelers selected Amiens, Vienna and Prague successively. Voters had the option of supporting three different cities, or to show their die-hard loyalty by voting three times for the same destination.
If this ranking isn't entirely independent, since each destination in the running organizes its own promotion on social networks, it can still be indicative of certain trends, suggesting cities that could be favored by travelers this year. Indeed, the list highlights cities that people may not have previously considered for a city break or a summer vacation. Take the city of Zadar in Croatia, which won the title of "European Best Destination" in 2016. The ancient city on the Dalmatian coast, just north of Split, saw a 25% increase in tourist traffic that same year, according to figures from "European Best Destinations." Indeed, the destination's popularity has grown, and new air routes have been opened, contributing to its tourism boom.
