Holiday insights: Fun and surprising trends across the EU
Publication Date/Time
2024-12-19T10:00:00+00:00
Country
Global
Engaging EU facts through open data: a reading for the winter break
Winter holidays in Europe offer a unique glimpse into the diverse
traditions, activities and customs that make this season memorable
across different countries in the region. Public holidays during this
period reflect Europe’s rich cultural, religious and national
diversity, balancing shared holiday traditions with unique regional
customs. 

This data story explores some enjoyable and light-hearted trends to
celebrate the upcoming Christmas holiday season. Specifically, it uses
open data to identify (1) the travel destination preferences of
members of different EU Member States, (2) the reading habits of
Europeans and (3) ice cream import and export trends across the EU. 

 

SECTION 1 - TRAVEL TRENDS AND DESTINATIONS THROUGH OPEN DATA 

The Christmas holiday season is a time when many Europeans embrace the
opportunity to travel, whether to visit loved ones, explore festive
destinations or take a winter getaway. Throughout 2022, nearly
230 million Europeans engaged in tourism, reflecting the sector’s
vital role in the EU economy as it accounts for approximately 10 %
of the EU’s gross domestic product
[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/126/tourism]. On
average, across the EU, 24.5 % of all trips were made to a foreign
country. More than three out of four
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Tourism_statistics_-_characteristics_of_tourism_trips]
of those foreign trips had as the main destination another Member
State. 

Figure 1 reveals notable patterns in EU tourism destinations. The
top three foreign destinations for the residents of each Member State
indicate that proximity often plays a significant role in travel
choices, but the strength of this effect varies. For example,
Slovenia’s residents overwhelmingly favour Croatia (54.5 %), a
dominance not matched in most other country-to-country relationships.
Along with proximity, historical and linguistic ties possibly also
play a role, as evidenced by the preference of Cypriots for Greece,
Belgians for France and the Netherlands, and Austrians for Germany.
Overall, Italy ranked as the most popular foreign destination for EU
residents
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Tourism_statistics_-_top_destinations&oldid=652575#Italy_and_Spain_are_the_top_foreign_destination_for_EU_residents_in_2022],
accounting for 11.3 % of all foreign trips they made, followed by
Spain at 11.0 %. Italy also appears most frequently on the list of
destinations, ranking among the top three destinations for 19 out of
the 26 Member States featured. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/15.Holidays8-01.png]
FIGURE 1: TRIPS OF RESIDENTS OF EU MEMBER STATES (_SOURCES:
_EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EUROSTAT)
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tour_dem_totot/default/table?lang=en]
/_ _DATA.EUROPA.EU
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/lgkzdrzwy8kxsa4nrhjsyw?locale=en]) 

 

SECTION 2 - USING OPEN DATA TO EXPLORE READING HABITS ACROSS EUROPE 

Reading is a popular winter pastime, and open data provides
interesting insight into how Europeans engage with books. In 2022
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/ilyvmhyefo5fjqzd53how?locale=en],
reading habits varied significantly across age groups, genders and
countries. Younger individuals (aged 16–29) were the most active
readers, with 60.1 % having read at least one book in the past year.
Engagement consistently decreased with age, with 47.2 % of people
aged 65 or older reporting having read at least one book. 

With regard to differences among genders, 60.5 % of women reported
having read at least one book in the past 12 months, compared to
44.5 % of men. Women are also more likely to read extensively, with
17.4 % reading 10 or more books annually, compared to just 9.9 %
of men. 

As shown in Figure 2, there are also notable differences across
countries. Switzerland leads with 80.6 % of its population reading
at least one book annually. Among Member States, Luxembourg ranks
highest at 75.2 %, followed by Denmark (72.1 %) and Estonia
(70.7 %). Overall, Nordic countries consistently demonstrate high
reading rates, with a large proportion of individuals reading 10 or
more books. This suggests a culture of avid reading in the region. In
contrast, countries like Italy (35.4 %), Cyprus (33.1 %) and
Romania (29.5 %) report significantly lower rates of reading. You
can explore more reading patterns here
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/ilyvmhyefo5fjqzd53how?locale=en]. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/15.Holidays8-02.png]
FIGURE 2: BOOK READERS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS (_SOURCES_: EUROPEAN
COMMISSION (EUROSTAT) 
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_scp27__custom_12383371/bookmark/bar?lang=en&bookmarkId=4a34e86d-c6b0-4958-83c6-5ada1ca3e4ba]/
DATA.EUROPA.EU
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/ilyvmhyefo5fjqzd53how?locale=en]) 

 

SECTION 3 - USING OPEN DATA TO UNCOVER INSIGHTS ON ICE CREAM
PRODUCTION AND TRADING 

Ice cream might seem like an unexpected winter treat, yet it remains a
cherished dessert across the EU, even during the colder months,
enjoyed at holiday gatherings and during cozy nights in. According to
Eurostat [https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat], the EU produced
3.3 billion litres of ice cream in 2022, marking a 5 % increase
from the previous year
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20230814-1].
Production dipped slightly by 1.4 % in 2023
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20240807-1]
to 3.2 billion litres. Independent studies
[https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/ice-cream-consumption-by-country]
suggest that Finland leads in ice cream consumption, with an average
of 14.2 litres per person, followed by Sweden at 12 litres, a
perhaps surprising fact to some, showcasing the popularity of ice
cream even in northern climates. 

With regard to trade, in 2023, the EU exported 261 million kg of ice
cream to non-EU countries, a 5 % increase compared to 2022. As shown
in Figure 3, France was the dominant exporter, shipping 52 million
kg (20 % of EU exports), followed by the Netherlands (35 million
kg, 14 %), Germany (29 million kg, 11 %) and Italy (28 million
kg, 11 %). Interestingly, a smaller Member State such as Belgium
also contributes significantly to exports, highlighting the diverse
production landscape within the EU. 

On the other hand, imports from non-EU countries
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ds-045409__custom_12198300/bookmark/table?lang=en&bookmarkId=c57d2595-79bc-42a5-941c-20af09f68593]
fell by 8 % in 2023 to 56 million kg. Ireland emerged as the
largest importer, accounting for 10 million kg (20 % of EU
imports). Germany followed with 8 million kg (14 %), and Bulgaria
imported 7 million kg (13 %), reflecting the varying reliance on
external ice cream suppliers among Member States. 

Overall, the EU’s ice cream trade reflects a dynamic interplay of
regional preferences, production capabilities and global market
demand, making it a fascinating aspect of the bloc’s food economy.
You can discover more insights about the ice cream trade in the EU
here
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/mhb0ozm8ou0p2svtmzg?locale=en]. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/15.Holidays8-03.png]
FIGURE 3: ICE CREAM IMPORTS AND EXPORTS BY MEMBER STATE
(_SOURCES_: EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EUROSTAT)
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ds-045409__custom_12198300/bookmark/table?lang=en&bookmarkId=c57d2595-79bc-42a5-941c-20af09f68593]
/ DATA.EUROPA.EU
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/mhb0ozm8ou0p2svtmzg?locale=en]) 

 

CONCLUSION 

Open data offers a valuable lens through which we can uncover
fascinating insights, from reading habits and ice cream trading to
travel trends across Europe. While some of these findings may seem
light-hearted and trivial, they lay the groundwork for meaningful
analysis, providing a deeper understanding of both daily behaviours
and broader economic and social patterns. This data story reveals key
trends, such as the popularity of certain holiday destinations among
people in the EU, higher reading rates among younger individuals and
women, and France’s position as the EU’s largest ice cream
exporter. 

Interested in exploring these topics further? You can explore the
datasets available at data.europa.eu [https://data.europa.eu/en] and
subscribe to the newsletter [https://data.europa.eu/en/newsletter] for
regular updates. We wish everyone a happy and joyful holiday season! 

 

DATA.EUROPA.EU'S DATASETS USED IN THE DATA STORY

 

SECTION 1 - TRAVEL TRENDS AND DESTINATIONS THROUGH OPEN DATA

 

SECTION 2 - USING OPEN DATA TO EXPLORE READING HABITS ACROSS EUROPE

 

SECTION 3 - USING OPEN DATA TO UNCOVER INSIGHTS ON ICE CREAM
PRODUCTION AND TRADING

