Research by Euromonitor International has shown that Europe is not ready to meet the demands of the growing number of Asian tourists.

The survey conducted for World Travel Market 2006’s Global Trends Report warned that if Europe is slow to respond to the needs of Asian tourists and does not quickly develop its infrastructure and services, it could lose out on high-spending visitors to other destinations such as the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.

Euromonitor claims there is a service gap for travellers looking for more customised or self-determined travel, rather than mass catered products. However, the study found that Europe even falls short on mass-catered coach tours, with many European cities having insufficient parking for coaches and limited access to city centres.

It also claims that outside main tourist areas there is a lack of credit card facilities and cash machines which are essential to Asian tourists as many are restricted on the amount of cash they can carry abroad.

Chinese tourists, the second fastest growing market for outbound tourism, tend to travel during three annual seven-day public holidays and so Europe must be ready to cater for these peak periods. Details: www.wtmlondon.com