Out of 45 countries on the European continent, Spain has been recognized as the best country for summer holidays, reports Schengen.News.
The Summer Tourism Index was compiled by the SchengenVisaInfo portal. Parameters such as destination popularity, beaches, weather, cost of holidays, friendliness of locals, and cuisine were evaluated.
All destinations are predictable and expected, although I would slightly rearrange some countries and move Croatia and Cyprus closer to the leaders.
Spain scored the maximum points for popularity, beaches, good weather, and friendliness of locals.
The top 12 positions in the ranking are as follows:
- Spain
- Italy
- Greece
- Turkey
- Portugal
- France
- Montenegro
- Croatia
- Albania
- Malta
- Cyprus
- Bulgaria
You can read about all these destinations in this blog in the Travel Practice section.
European countries with the lowest ratings are Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg. They ended up at the bottom of the list due to the cost of holidays. For example, according to the index, a holiday in Switzerland will cost 18,882 Euros, whereas in Spain it will cost 1,056 Euros.
Europe saves a lot and prefers simple pleasures such as the beach and sun combined with good food.
Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe for summer tourism.
The cheapest countries are Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Lithuania.
The best beaches are in Spain and Greece. I would like to clarify that the number of Blue Flag beaches was taken into account, and there are more than 600 of them in these countries. I would like to remind you that the Blue Flag is awarded not only for the cleanliness of the sea and shore but also for tourist infrastructure and accessibility for people with disabilities. I want to clarify that for myself, I do not consider the Blue Flag to be the indicator that determines the rating of a beach. I do not always need sun loungers, changing cabins, fast food on the shore, and other unnecessary infrastructure features.
The most tourist friendly countries are Spain, Italy, Portugal, San Marino, and Ireland.
The least friendly are the Russian Federation, Belarus, North Macedonia, Serbia. Comments are superfluous.
The tastiest food in Europe is in Italy. It is rightfully followed by Greece and Portugal, Andorra, and France.
The country with the best weather in Europe in summer is Cyprus. Here, the highest average temperatures are recorded. Malta, Spain, Albania, Italy, and Montenegro follow Cyprus.
Useful links:
- Hotel Bookin — Booking.com
- Flight tickets — Aviasales
- Car rental — Local Rent
- Travel insurance — Hotline Finance
