tourism economy in europe

Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Travel and tourism in Europe - statistics & facts

What are the most popular travel destinations in europe, travel planning and behavior of european tourists, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Europe 2019-2022

Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in Europe 2019-2022

Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide 2005-2023, by region

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Current statistics on this topic.

European countries with the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals 2019-2022

Travel and tourism: share of GDP in the EU-27 and the UK 2019-2022, by country

Related topics

Travel and tourism in europe.

• Inbound tourism in Europe
• Chinese tourism in Europe
• Backpacking in Europe
• Business travel in Europe
• Cruise industry in Europe

City tourism in Europe

• Tourism in London
• Tourism in Paris
• Tourism in Rome
• Tourism in Amsterdam
• Tourism in Barcelona

Recommended statistics

• Basic Statistic Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide 2005-2023, by region
• Premium Statistic International tourist arrivals worldwide 2019-2022, by subregion
• Basic Statistic Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Europe 2019-2022
• Basic Statistic Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in Europe 2019-2022, by type
• Basic Statistic Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in Europe 2019-2022, by tourist type
• Basic Statistic Travel and tourism: share of GDP in the EU-27 and the UK 2019-2022, by country
• Basic Statistic Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in Europe 2019-2022
• Premium Statistic Leading European countries in the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2021

Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide from 2005 to 2023, by region (in millions)

International tourist arrivals worldwide 2019-2022, by subregion

Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide from 2019 to 2022, by subregion (in millions)

Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Europe 2019-2022

Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Europe in 2019 and 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in Europe 2019-2022, by type

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in Europe in 2019 and 2022, by type

Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in Europe 2019-2022, by tourist type

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in Europe in 2019 and 2022, by type of tourist

Share of travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in European Union member countries (EU-27) and the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019 and 2022

Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in Europe 2019-2022

Total contribution of travel and tourism to employment in Europe in 2019 and 2022 (in million jobs)

Leading European countries in the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2021

Leading European countries in the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) in 2021

Inbound tourism

• Premium Statistic International tourist arrivals in Europe 2006-2023
• Premium Statistic International tourist arrivals in Europe 2010-2022, by region
• Premium Statistic European countries with the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals 2019-2022
• Basic Statistic Monthly number of inbound tourist arrivals in Europe 2019-2023
• Basic Statistic Monthly change in tourist arrivals in Europe 2020-2023, by region
• Premium Statistic Inbound tourism visitor growth in Europe 2020-2025, by region
• Premium Statistic International tourist arrival growth in European countries 2019-2023
• Basic Statistic International tourism spending in Europe 2019-2022
• Premium Statistic European countries with the highest inbound tourism receipts 2019-2022

International tourist arrivals in Europe 2006-2023

Number of international tourist arrivals in Europe from 2006 to 2023 (in millions)

International tourist arrivals in Europe 2010-2022, by region

Number of international tourist arrivals in Europe from 2017 to 2022, by region (in millions)

Countries with the highest number of international tourist arrivals in Europe from 2019 to 2022 (in millions)

Monthly number of inbound tourist arrivals in Europe 2019-2023

Number of monthly international tourist arrivals in Europe from 2019 to 2023 (in millions)

Monthly change in tourist arrivals in Europe 2020-2023, by region

Change in monthly international tourist arrivals in Europe from January 2020 to July 2023, by region

Inbound tourism visitor growth in Europe 2020-2025, by region

Inbound tourism visitor growth in Europe from 2020 to 2022, with a forecast until 2025, by region

International tourist arrival growth in European countries 2019-2023

Percentage change in international tourist arrivals in Europe from 2019 to 2023, by country

International tourism spending in Europe 2019-2022

International tourism expenditure in Europe in 2019 and 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

European countries with the highest inbound tourism receipts 2019-2022

Countries with the highest international tourism receipts in Europe from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Domestic tourism

• Premium Statistic Number of domestic tourist trips in EU-27 countries and the UK 2018-2021
• Basic Statistic Number of domestic arrivals in tourist accommodation in the EU 2011-2022
• Basic Statistic Domestic tourism spending in Europe 2019-2022
• Basic Statistic Domestic tourism spending in EU-27 countries and the UK 2019-2022
• Premium Statistic Share of Europeans planning to take a domestic summer trip 2023, by country

Number of domestic tourist trips in EU-27 countries and the UK 2018-2021

Number of domestic tourist trips in European Union member countries (EU-27) and the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2021 (in 1,000s)

Number of domestic arrivals in tourist accommodation in the EU 2011-2022

Number of domestic arrivals in tourist accommodation establishments in the European Union (EU-27) from 2011 to 2022 (in millions)

Domestic tourism spending in Europe 2019-2022

Domestic tourism expenditure in Europe in 2019 and 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Domestic tourism spending in EU-27 countries and the UK 2019-2022

Domestic tourism expenditure in European Union member countries (EU-27) and the United Kingdom in 2019 and 2022, by country (in billion U.S. dollars)

Share of Europeans planning to take a domestic summer trip 2023, by country

Share of adults who planned to take a domestic summer holiday trip in selected countries in Europe as of April 2023

Outbound tourism

• Premium Statistic Outbound tourism visitor growth worldwide 2020-2025, by region
• Premium Statistic Outbound visitor growth in Europe 2020-2025, by region
• Premium Statistic Number of outbound trips from EU-27 countries and the UK 2018-2021
• Premium Statistic European countries with the highest outbound tourism expenditure 2019-2022

Outbound tourism visitor growth worldwide 2020-2025, by region

Outbound tourism visitor growth worldwide from 2020 to 2022, with a forecast until 2025, by region

Outbound visitor growth in Europe 2020-2025, by region

Outbound visitor growth in Europe from 2020 to 2022, with a forecast until 2025, by region

Number of outbound trips from EU-27 countries and the UK 2018-2021

Number of outbound trips from European Union member countries (EU-27) and the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2021 (in 1,000s)

European countries with the highest outbound tourism expenditure 2019-2022

Countries with the highest outbound tourism expenditure in Europe from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

European travelers

• Premium Statistic Travel intentions of Europeans in the next six months 2023, by destination
• Premium Statistic Share of Europeans planning to travel domestically or in Europe 2023
• Premium Statistic Europeans planning domestic or European trips in the next six months 2023, by age
• Premium Statistic Europeans planning leisure domestic or European trips 2023, by trip type
• Premium Statistic European travelers' favorite destinations for their next European trip 2023

Travel intentions of Europeans in the next six months 2023, by destination

Share of European travelers planning a trip in the next six months as of September 2023, by destination

Share of Europeans planning to travel domestically or in Europe 2023

Share of European travelers planning to take an overnight trip domestically or in Europe in the next six months as of March, May, and September 2023

Europeans planning domestic or European trips in the next six months 2023, by age

Share of European travelers planning to take an overnight trip domestically or in Europe in the next six months as of September 2023, by age group

Europeans planning leisure domestic or European trips 2023, by trip type

Share of Europeans planning to take a leisure overnight trip domestically or in Europe in the next six months as of September 2023, by type of trip

European travelers' favorite destinations for their next European trip 2023

Preferred European countries for the next trip among European travelers as of September 2023

Accommodation

• Basic Statistic Number of tourist accommodation establishments in the EU 2012-2022
• Basic Statistic Number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation establishments in the EU 2011-2022
• Premium Statistic Hotel market revenue in Europe 2017-2028
• Premium Statistic Hotel market revenue in Europe 2017-2028, by region
• Premium Statistic Share of hotel market sales in Europe 2017-2028, by channel

Number of tourist accommodation establishments in the EU 2012-2022

Number of tourist accommodation establishments in the European Union (EU-27) from 2012 to 2022

Number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation establishments in the EU 2011-2022

Number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation establishments in the European Union (EU-27) from 2011 to 2022 (in millions)

Hotel market revenue in Europe 2017-2028

Revenue of the hotel market in Europe from 2017 to 2023, with a forecast until 2028 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Hotel market revenue in Europe 2017-2028, by region

Revenue of the hotel market in Europe from 2017 to 2023, with a forecast until 2028, by region (in billion U.S. dollars)

Share of hotel market sales in Europe 2017-2028, by channel

Sales distribution of the hotel market in Europe from 2017 to 2023, with a forecast until 2028, by channel

Travel companies

• Basic Statistic Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide 2023
• Premium Statistic Estimated EV/EBITDA ratio in the online travel market 2024, by segment
• Premium Statistic Market capitalization of leading travel and leisure companies in Europe 2024
• Premium Statistic Leading airlines in Europe based on passenger numbers 2022

Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide 2023

Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide as of September 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

Estimated EV/EBITDA ratio in the online travel market 2024, by segment

Estimated enterprise value to EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio in the online travel market worldwide as of April 2024, by segment

Market capitalization of leading travel and leisure companies in Europe 2024

Market capitalization of leading travel and leisure companies in Europe as of March 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Leading airlines in Europe based on passenger numbers 2022

Leading airlines in Europe in 2022, based on passenger traffic (in millions)

• Premium Statistic Travel and tourism revenue in Europe 2018-2028, by segment
• Premium Statistic Number of users of package holidays in Europe 2019-2028
• Premium Statistic Number of users of hotels in Europe 2019-2028
• Premium Statistic Number of users of vacation rentals in Europe 2019-2028
• Premium Statistic Revenue of travel and tourism market in selected countries worldwide 2023

Travel and tourism revenue in Europe 2018-2028, by segment

Revenue of the travel and tourism market in Europe from 2018 to 2028, by segment (in billion U.S. dollars)

Number of users of package holidays in Europe 2019-2028

Number of users of package holidays in Europe from 2019 to 2028 (in millions)

Number of users of hotels in Europe 2019-2028

Number of users of hotels in Europe from 2019 to 2028 (in millions)

Number of users of vacation rentals in Europe 2019-2028

Number of users of vacation rentals in Europe from 2019 to 2028 (in millions)

Revenue of travel and tourism market in selected countries worldwide 2023

Travel and tourism market revenue in selected countries worldwide in 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

EU tourism: an almost full recovery to pre-pandemic levels

The upgraded EU Tourism Dashboard offers insights on the impact and state-of-play of this industry and supports the transition to greener, more digital tourism.

Fresh statistics on EU tourism suggest that in 2022, tourism demand was already at nearly 96% the level in 2019. This shows an almost full recovery on average for the EU , with countries like Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, and Netherlands even surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

However, recovery in Eastern European tourism destinations has been more sluggish, possibly also due to the war in Ukraine. Data also shows that international tourism demand is picking up more slowly than domestic tourism, staying in 2022 at 91% the level of 2019.

These new figures result from an update of the EU Tourism Dashboard , an interactive tool providing statistics and indicators relevant for tourism policies . These include, amongst others, the environmental and socio-economic impact in a given area, the level of digitalisation and the main tourism typology.

The recent upgrade has brought updated figures and novel indicators on the adoption of environmental labels and schemes by tourist accommodations, nature-based tourism opportunities and the economic impact of tourism. 

A greener and digitalised tourism in the EU

According to the new data, on the digitalisation front, internet infrastructure continues to improve, covering tourism destinations with ever increasing internet speeds: in 2019, only 10% of the tourism capacity had internet speed above 100 Mb/s. This has improved to 42% and 63% in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

On the green front, nearly 850 tourist accommodation establishments had the EU Ecolabel in 2022 or were registered to the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) . The EU tourism dashboard also identifies that other 4750 tourist accommodations in the EU countries, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway that have other reliable environmental labels and schemes.

However, the number is still a tiny fraction of the nearly 650,000 tourist accommodation establishments in these countries.

Better data to design policies for a more sustainable tourism

The new data collected and provided in the upgraded dashboard will further help decision makers to identify vulnerabilities and opportunities, and to design effective strategies to make the EU tourism ecosystem more sustainable and resilient to possible shocks, for example encouraging further the adoption of reliable environmental labels and schemes by tourist accommodation establishments.

The EU Tourism Dashboard is a valuable source of knowledge for policy makers in EU countries and regions to better understand how tourism is progressing towards the green and digital transition, and to assess local socio-economic resilience. It can also contribute to the work of statistics experts in EU countries, of researchers, as well as of public and private operators who promote local and regional tourism.

Indicators on the dashboard are organised under three main policy pillars: green, digital and socioeconomic. The dashboard also includes descriptors of tourism demand and supply such as occupancy rates, average duration of stays, presence of UNESCO sites and many more.

Launched in October 2022, the EU Tourism Dashboard was developed by the JRC and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs , following a request by EU Member States in 2021 to design a tool for monitoring the twin transition and resilience of the tourism ecosystem – one of the most heavily affected by the travel and health restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The dashboard is developed in cooperation with Eurostat and in coordination with the EU Member States.

The initiative contributes to the Transition Pathway for Tourism published in February 2022, which was created in collaboration with public and private EU tourism stakeholders to identify 27 areas of actions for the green and digital transition and for improving the resilience of EU tourism. Improving statistics and measurements for tourism regarding its economic, environmental and social impacts was recognised among key topics for action.

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• European Union Tourism Trends

The European Union Tourism Trends report provides a comprehensive overview of tourism in the European Union and constitutes a tool for policy makers and other tourism stakeholders for developing market strategies and enhancing the knowledge base of the EU Virtual Tourism Observatory. The report is the result of a cooperation agreement between UNWTO and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission (DG GROW) and is part of the ‘Enhancing the Understanding of European Tourism’ initiative. The project aims to improve the socio-economic knowledge of the tourism sector, enhance the understanding of European tourism and contribute to economic growth, job creation and the overall competiveness of tourism in Europe.

ISBN : 978-92-844-1947-0

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Tourism in the bsec region, european union short-term tourism trends, volume 1, 2017-2, european union short-term tourism trends, volume 1, 2017-1, european union short-term tourism trends, volume 1, 2017-6.

How quickly is tourism recovering from COVID-19?

The pandemic helped fuel a decline in tourism globally. Image:  Unsplash/Markus Spiske

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Stay up to date:, travel and tourism.

• Tourists spent an extra 1.8 billion nights in the European Union in 2021 compared with the year before.
• But this is still almost 40% lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to EU statistics.
• Tourism is an important sector for the world economy, and is expected to continue recovering gradually in 2022.
• However, there are still risks – including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and COVID-19 variants.

Tourism was hit particularly hard by the pandemic, as lockdowns restricted people to travelling around their homes and neighbourhoods rather than around the world. But there are now signs that tourist numbers are starting to recover as limitations on movement are eased.

There was a 27% rise in nights spent at EU tourist accommodation in 2021 , according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU. This took the total to 1.8 billion, although this was still 37% less than in 2019, before COVID-19.

The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.

As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.

To help all stakeholders – communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications - a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forum’s annual Global Risks Report.

Companies are invited to join the Forum’s work to help manage the identified emerging risks of COVID-19 across industries to shape a better future. Read the full COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications report here , and our impact story with further information.

Where tourists went

Greece, Spain and Croatia saw the biggest rises in visitors last year, with the number of nights spent at tourist accommodation jumping by more than 70%. Trips to Austria, Latvia and Slovakia fell, but by less than 18%.

“This shows signs of recovery in the tourism sector,” Eurostat says.

However, when 2021 tourist night numbers are compared with 2019, it shows some countries lost more than half their bookings. Latvia, Slovakia, Malta and Hungary were the worst hit.

Denmark and the Netherlands, on the other hand, were the least affected countries. They saw drops of less than 20% in nights spent in tourist accommodation.

Eurostat says the figures are “far less dramatic” than the contrast between 2019 and 2020, when tourism in the EU halved .

Tourism supports jobs

More than 2 million businesses – mostly small and medium-sized companies – make up the EU’s tourism industry , according to the European Parliament.

These firms employ an estimated 12.3 million people, but worker numbers increase to 27.3 million when related sectors are taken into account.

Across the EU in 2018, travel and tourism made up about 4% of GDP – the total value of products and services produced in a country – or 10% if closely related sectors are taken into account.

Three-quarters of these tourism businesses operated in either accommodation or serving food and drink. Italy, France, Spain and Germany were home to 55% of the EU’s tourism firms in 2018.

Have you read?

This is how the covid-19 crisis has affected international tourism, we urgently need to kickstart tourism’s recovery but crisis offers an opportunity to rethink it, a new era of sustainable travel prepares for take-off, global growth and risks.

Tourism is the world’s third-biggest export sector , according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a special United Nations agency.

Because of COVID-19, tourism lost out on around $1 trillion of export revenues in 2021, UNWTO estimates. It predicts that the tourism industry will recover gradually in 2022 .

International tourist arrivals globally grew 130% in January 2022, UNWTO says. And this was despite the Omicron variant of COVID-19 slowing down the speed of the recovery.

The war in Ukraine also poses a new risk to the global tourism industry – by potentially disrupting the return of confidence to travel, UNWTO says.

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What are you looking for?

68+ europe travel & tourism statistics (latest 2024 data).

It’s no secret that Europe is home to some of the most popular places to visit in the world . With fascinating history, diverse cultures, and gorgeous natural sceneries, there is something to suit every type of tourist.

According to the UN, there are 44 countries in Europe with 27 of them listed as part of the European Union . 

That’s a lot of places to explore and get lost in!

France was the most visited destination in Europe as it saw over 79.4 million global tourist arrivals in 2022. 

Meanwhile, Paris welcomed 16.8 million international tourists in 2018 . It’s second in Europe only to London.

Today, we’re here to present some of the most interesting and crucial statistics about travel and tourism in Europe. From how much revenue this industry generates each year to the impact that recent pandemic had.

Here they are!

Sources : I’ve referenced individual sources after each stat. Please go to the bottom of the post for a full list of all the articles and sources I’ve used here.

Travellerspoint

Most asked questions about Europe travel & tourism

How many tourists visit europe each year.

In 2019, Europe recorded 745 million international tourist arrivals.

The pandemic caused international tourism to plummet in Europe, but the number has recovered to 595 million arrivals in 2022.

Roughly 4 in 10 baby boomers state that Europe is their first choice for international travel.

How much of Europe's economy is tourism?

In 2022, travel and tourism contributed $1,939 billion to the overall GDP in Europe.

This is an increase from the $1,450 billion contribution in 2021, but not yet recovered to its pre-pandemic levels.

Which country in Europe has the most tourism?

With 89.4 million international tourist arrivals in 2019 and 79.4 million in 2022, France is the most popular place to visit in Europe .

Both before and after the pandemic, France remains the most visited country in Europe.

What percentage of Europeans travel?

In 2021, 56% of Europeans participated in tourism in 2021, compared with 65% in 2019.

What's the least visited country in Europe?

According to Eurostat, Luxembourg was the least visited country in Europe by EU residents in 2019.

Europe Travel & Tourism Key Statistics

• Europe at large (both EU and non-EU) remains the most visited region in the world, accounting for 50% of the world’s tourist arrivals
• In 2022, travel and tourism contributed $1,939 billion to the overall GDP in Europe
• 61% of all international arrivals to the EU in 61% were for recreational purposes
• In 2020, the tourism industry generated, directly and indirectly, 34.76 million jobs
• In 2017, there were more female (59%) than male employees in the tourism industry
• In 2019, there were 717 thousand travel accommodation establishments in EU countries, which is a 69% increase from 2006
• In 2019, EU residents made 1.1 billion trips that included overnight stays
• Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, international arrivals in Europe plummeted from over 746 million in 2019 to just about 236 million in 2020

Inbound tourism in Europe

How many tourists visit Europe annually?

1. In 2019, Europe recorded 745 million international tourist arrivals.

[Statista] 

Europe receives the highest number of international arrivals compared to other regions, including Americas, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.

2. The pandemic caused international tourism to plummet in Europe, but the number has recovered to 595 million arrivals in 2022.

In comparison, the Americas received 150 million international tourist arrivals in 2022, only 25% of Europe.

3. In July 2023, there were 89.8 million monthly international arrivals in Europe, roughly 7% lower than in July 2019.

This has exceeded the monthly levels of July 2020, 2021, and 2022, but yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

4. 6 of the top 10 most visited destinations by international tourist arrivals worldwide are located in Europe.

[Wikipedia]

This includes France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United Kingdom in that order.

5. There were 36.4 million outbound trips from the US to Europe in 2019.

In 2019, there were 36.4 million trips from the US to Europe .

6. About 33% of these trips from the US were made to destinations in Western Europe.

11.9 million, or 33%, of these trips were to Western Europe. Central or Eastern Europe received the least number of outbound trips from the US at 4.3 million arrivals in 2019.

7. Europe at large (both EU and non-EU) remains the most visited region in the world, accounting for 50% of the world’s tourist arrivals.

Domestic tourism in europe.

How popular is Europe among domestic tourists?

8. In 2019, there were 682 million domestic arrivals in EU countries.

Domestic tourism continues to be more popular as this number steadily grows from only 491 million in 2008 to 682 million in 2019.

9. There were 187 million overnight trips in Europe made by French residents in 2019 alone.

Out of all EU countries, French residents have been the most active in domestic tourism in Europe. 

10. Germany is close behind as its residents made roughly 161 million domestic trips in 2019.

Domestic trips include both personal and professional purposes.

11. An April 2023 survey showed that French respondents were the most likely to take a domestic summer holiday trip. 

12. As of September 2023, the preferred destination among European travelers for their next European trip is France, with 7% of respondents planning to visit France on their next trip within Europe. 

After France, Italy and Spain followed in the ranking.

13. A survey in September 2023 revealed that 68% of respondents intended to likely or very likely take an overnight trip domestically or in Europe in the following six months. 

This percentage was a slight decrease from a similar study in March 2023, when 72% reported the same.

14. In 2022, the expenditure of domestic tourists in Europe was 1.13 trillion U.S. dollars just 0.5% lower than that in 2019.

15. in terms of domestic tourism expenditure of the eu-27 countries and the uk, germany had the highest figure in 2019 (320.9 billion u.s. dollars) and 2022 (317 billion u.s. dollars)., europe tourism and the economy.

How much revenue does Europe’s tourism generate?

16. In 2021, travel and tourism contributed $1,450 billion to the overall GDP in Europe.

From 2012 to 2019, the travel industry has steadily contributed an increasing amount of GDP in Europe, peaking at $2,191 billion in 2019.

17. Domestic tourism expenditure reached a record high of $1,222 billion in 2019.

Domestic travellers are important in Europe’s tourism industry as they spent $1,222 billion in 2019 alone, which is the highest number in recent recorded history.

18. In 2019, Spain was the second top tourism earner after the US, recording $79.7 billion in international tourism receipts.

Spain is the second country in the world that makes the most money from tourism. It recorded $79.7 billion in international tourism receipts in 2019.

19. France follows closely behind making $63.8 in international tourism receipts.

Why people travel to europe.

What motivates people to visit Europe?

20. 61% of all international arrivals to the EU in are for recreational purposes.

Holiday, recreation, and other leisure-related purposes are the most common reason for visiting Europe.

21. In the meantime, 15% visited EU countries for business reasons and 24% came to visit friends and relatives or other purposes.

Business travel makes up 15% of all visits to the EU .

22 Most international visitors arrive in Europe by air travel (57%), compared to 40% for land transport and only 4% by water.

Over half of all global visitors to Europe come through flights, while 2 out of 5 visitors arrive by land transport. Only 4% travel by water to Europe.

23. 62% of all residents in the EU went on a minimum of one personal trip in 2017.

In terms of domestic tourism in Europe, 3 out of every 5 EU residents took at least one personal trip back in 2017.

24. 11% of domestic trips to Europe in 2015 were for professional purposes, including business trips.

11% of all domestic trips in Europe in 2015 were made for professional reasons, such as business trips.

25. The European hotel market generated a revenue of 98.09 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a significant improvement from 2020 and 2021.

26. the european region with the highest revenue in the hotel market in 2022 was central & western europe was, generating more than 61 billion u.s. dollars. .

The region with the second-highest revenue in the hotel market in 2022 was Southern Europe.

Tourism employment in Europe

How large is Europe’s tourism workforce?

27. In 2020, the tourism industry generated, directly and indirectly, 34.76 million jobs.

In 2022, there’s still a 8.5% decrease in tourism jobs in Europe compared to 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic .

28. Travel and tourism provided 37.98 million jobs in Europe in 2019.

29. in 2017, there were more female (59%) than male employees in the tourism industry..

The tourism industry has long been a major employer for women , especially considering that only 36% of employees in non-financial business economies in Europe were female.

30. The tourism labour force also tends to attract younger workers aged 15 to 24 (13%) and part-time positions (24%).

These statistics are much higher than those in the non-financial business economies and services sectors as a whole.

Popular tourist destinations in Europe

What are the most popular tourist destinations in Europe?

31. With 89.4 million international tourist arrivals in 2019 and 79.4 million in 2022, France is the most popular place to visit in Europe.

France, Spain (83.5 million), and Italy (64.5 million) recorded the most international tourist arrivals in 2019. The ranking changed slightly in 2020, with Italy receiving more international tourists than Spain.

Moreover, European travellers comprise 39.3% of the total tourist arrivals in Venice .

32. The capital city, Paris, welcomed more than 16.8 million international visitors in 2018, making it the second most visited European city after London.

Paris received over 16.8 million international visitors in 2018 and was the second most visited city in Europe.

It is second only to London, which receives the highest number of tourists that year .

33. In terms of bed nights, Spain is the most popular among international tourists, with 299 million nights spent in tourist accommodations in 2019 alone.

This number accounts to 22% of the total nights spent in tourist accommodations in Europe.

34. After Spain, Italy is the second most popular tourist destination for overnight stays in Europe. There were 221 million nights spent here in 2019.

When it comes to cities in Europe with the most overnight stays in 2019, Italy sits on the second place.

35. This is followed by France (136 million nights) and Greece (120 million nights).

36. all together, spain, italy, france, and greece dominate 57% of the total nights spent by international tourists in european tourist accommodations..

Spain, Italy, France, and Greece are the four most popular tourist destinations in Europe in terms of night spent in a tourist accommodation.

In fact, travellers from Europe make up the majority of overseas tourist arrivals in Rome (2.78 million) .

37. Meanwhile, the least popular EU destinations for tourists in 2019 were Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

38. in terms of region, international arrivals in southern/mediterranean europe has surpassed pre-pandemic levels in july 2023, while central/eastern europe experienced a 30% drop., accommodation in europe’s travel industry.

Where do tourists usually stay when visiting Europe?

39. In 2022, there were 621 thousand travel accommodation establishments in EU countries, a slight increase from the 617 thousand recorded in 2019.

The 621 thousand travel accommodations include RV campgrounds , hotels, short-stay accommodation, and trailer parks.

40. As of 2019, a majority of these (more than 479 thousand) were holiday and other short-stay accommodations, while 209 thousand were hotels and similar accommodation types.

The most common type of tourist accommodation in Europe is holiday/ short-stay vacation rentals .

41. In 2019, it was estimated that residents and international visitors spent a total of 2.87 billion nights in EU travel accommodation.

In 2019 alone, tourists in EU countries spent a total of 3.42 billion nights in accommodation establishments.

For budget travel, Kyiv is the cheapest city destination for backpacking, with daily costs amounting to an average of $37.69 .

42. In 2022, the number still has yet to reach its pre-pandemic figure, at just 2.74 billion nights spent in EU travel accommodations.

43. In 2019, Italy recorded just shy of 1.1 million bedrooms in hotels and similar accommodation. This is the highest in any country in Europe.

At 1.1 million individual hotel and similar rooms , Italy is the country in Europe with the highest number of bedrooms.

44. Germany and Spain are close behind with 993 and 934 million bedrooms respectively.

45. in terms of occupancy rate of bed places in hotels and other similar accommodation in eu countries, cyprus leads the chart with 71.8% of net occupancy rate..

Hotels and similar accommodation types in Cyprus recorded an astounding 71.8% net occupancy rate, the highest in any one country in EU countries.

46. Interestingly, despite having the second most hotel bedrooms in Europe, Germany had a pretty low occupancy rate of 45.7% in 2019.

47. in 2021, europe became the region with the highest glamping market worldwide, with 35.11% of market share..

[Grand Review Research]

Glamping is an up-and-coming industry and Europe seems to be the leading world region in terms of market share (35.11%) .

48. In 2022, most hotel market sales in Europe were made online (77%), which represents a steady growth since 2017 and is expected to continue until 2027.

Online booking has an increasingly large role in hotel market sales in Europe, with 77% of sales in 2022 made online .

49. There are 1.4 million Airbnb Hosts in the EU, the highest number in any region in the world.

Out of the 1.4 million Airbnb Hosts in the EU , more than 1.1 million have just one listing.

50. The average EU Host on Airbnb earned just below €4,000 in 2022, which is equivalent to over two months additional pay for the median EU household.

Outbound tourism by europeans.

How many European tourists go on a trip each year?

51. Almost two out of every three Europeans went on a tourism trip in 2019, but the percentage decreased to 56% in 2021.

52. in 2021 compared with 2019, 14 % or 35 million fewer europeans made tourism trips., 53. around 70% of these trips were made within their own country..

In 2021, nearly 7 out of 10 European tourists made only domestic trips.

54. In terms of night spent, Spain and Italy were the most popular destinations for European tourists.

The most popular destinations for tourists from Europe are Spain and Italy, where they spent the highest number of nights in 2019.

55. For non-EU destinations, the United Kingdom, Turkey and the USA had been the top choices.

56. eu residents spent an average of €421 per trip in 2019..

The average EU resident would spend €421 per trip.

57. In 2019, EU residents made 1.1 billion trips that included overnight stays.

EU residents went on a total of 1.1 billion trips which included overnight stays to both domestic and international locations in 2019 alone.

58. The contribution of travel and tourism to Europe’s GDP fell significantly in 2020, from $2,191 billion, to roughly 50% of the number in 2019.

The average European solo traveler spends €285 for their flight and hotel .

59. The EU country that travels the most is Switzerland, with 82.2% of the population travelling in 2021.

Sweden is on fifth place, with 78% of its population participating in tourism in 2021.

Meanwhile, Ireland takes 8th place with 72.3% of the population travelling in 2021 .

60. On the other end of the spectrum, the country that participated the least in tourism in 2021 is Bulgaria (22.7% of population).

61. residents aged 65 or over represented 25% of the eu population aged 15 years or older, they accounted for only 17% of eu tourists..

Still, this 17% equals to a significant number of 36 million tourists.

Covid-19 and Europe’s tourism

How has the pandemic affected travel & tourism in Europe?

62. The contribution of travel and tourism to Europe’s GDP fell significantly in 2020, from $2,191 billion, to roughly 50% of the number in 2019.

Due to the recent pandemic, the total contribution from the travel and tourism industry to GDP in Europe decreased dramatically in 2020 from 2019.

63. Domestic tourism also fell from $1,167 billion in 2019 to $668 billion in 2020.

Domestic tourism expenditure in Europe decreased by roughly 43 percent in 2020 over the previous year, due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

64. International arrivals in Europe plummeted from over 746 million in 2019 to just about 236 million in 2020.

65. the number of international tourist arrivals dropped by 97% in april 2020 compared to april 2019. .

Travel to and from countries was restricted as the virus spread, resulting in a sharp drop in arrivals across the region.

66. In May 2021, international tourist arrivals have more than quadrupled since the same month in 2020.

However, this figure of 12.1 million arrivals is still much below the 64.2 million from May 2019.

Travel companies in Europe statistics

67. the 'package holidays' segment of the travel and tourism market in europe is expected to achieve a +1.66% growth in number of users between 2023 and 2027, reaching a record-high of 134.52 million users., 68. as of june 2023, oriental land co. ltd is the travel and leisure company with the largest market cap in europe, valued at 54.83 billion u.s. dollars..

Flutter Entertainment PLC and Evolution AB followed, each with a market capitalisation of roughly 27.76 billion U.S. dollars.

69. In Europe, Lufthansa became the airline which carried the highest number of travelers in 2022, with 101.8 million passengers in total.

Turkish Airlines was in second place, with a total of 71.8 million passengers in 2022.

As home to some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, it will not be a surprise if tourism in this region only grows from now on.

While the recent Coronavirus pandemic has caused some major setbacks in terms of GDP and tourist arrivals in these countries, it does seem that things are looking brighter.

Once the world has recovered even more from this trying time, we believe that people looking for a getaway will look to visit various European destinations. As such, the number of domestic and international visitors will surely rise again soon.

We hope this post is thorough enough for you to learn more about tourism in Europe.

Can you think of other questions or aspects of Europe’s travel and tourism that we haven’t covered? Feel free to comment below!

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Tourism in Europe

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Tourism in Europe is big business. But why is this industry so important and what does it all mean? Read on to find out…

Overview of EU tourism policy

The European Union supports, coordinates and complements the actions of EU countries related to tourism. EU tourism policy aims to maintain Europe’s position as a leading global destination and to turn Europe into a sustainable destination, bearing also its social and environmental aspects. Some objectives are, notably, to maximise the industry’s contribution to growth and jobs, as well as promote cooperation between EU countries and develop the attractiveness of Europe as a destination.

The transition of EU tourism

The EU‘s tourism ecosystem is highly diverse and complex, covering globalised and interconnected value chains. It comprises businesses in several sectors, including food and beverage services, online information and services providers (e.g. tourist offices or digital platforms), travel agents and tour operators, accommodation suppliers, destination managing organisations, attractions and passenger transport (such as airlines and airports, trains, busses and boats).

Despite the notable disparities between EU countries, tourism represents an important part of the EU’s overall economy. In 2019, it represented  nearly 10% of the EU GDP and accounted for around 23 million jobs  in the Union. 

Just like for the other ecosystems, the  update of the EU industrial strategy  underlined the need to accelerate the green and digital transitions further and increase the resilience of EU tourism. To that end, the European Commission proposed to co-create a transition pathway with industry, public authorities, social partners and other stakeholders. 

As the tourism ecosystem was hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and faces major challenges to achieving the twin transition, it was the first industrial ecosystem to initiate the  co-creation process .

On 4 February 2022, the Commission published the  transition pathway for tourism . The report identifies 27 areas of measures for the green and digital transition and for improving the resilience of EU tourism. The Pathway is structured on building blocks developed by the  Industrial Forum Task Force 2  and gathers elements identified by stakeholders and structures from over 30 meetings and workshops.         

On 1 December 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted the  European agenda for tourism 2030 . The agenda is based on the Commission’s  transition pathway for tourism  and includes a multi-annual work plan with actions to be taken by the EU countries, the Commission and tourism stakeholders.

For more information on the transition of EU tourism, visit the  dedicated pages .

General policy background 

Article 195 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union   underlines that the “Union shall complement the action of the Member States in the tourism sector, in particular by promoting the competitiveness of Union undertakings in that sector”. The EU, therefore, encourages the creation of a favourable environment and promotes cooperation between EU countries. 

Over the past decade, Europe confirmed its position as the world-leading tourism destination. Until the publication of the  transition pathway for tourism  and the  European tourism agenda 2030  in 2022, mainly two policy documents supported tourism at the EU level

• the 2010 communication  Europe, the World’s N°1 tourist destination: A new political framework for tourism in Europe  

the 2014 communication  A European Strategy for more growth and jobs in coastal and maritime tourism The tourism ecosystem is facing several challenges and the Commission’s policy has been assisting the EU tourism community to adapt to new trends and demand changes to better cope with climate, technological and social issues. The COVID-19 crisis accelerated the process and the European Commission released

• a communication on  Transport and tourism in 2020 and beyond  in May 2020
• an update  of the 2020  European Industrial Strategy , proposing transition pathways for the transition of all the industrial ecosystems

Cooperation within the EU and beyond 

Via the  Tourism Advisory Committee  (TAC), the Commission facilitates exchanges of EU country representatives on tourism and, in particular, on the provision of services for tourists. At the EU level, there is close contact with other EU bodies such as the Council of the EU, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions.

The Commission works with international organisations on the sustainability and balanced development of tourism globally. Thus, the Commission strengthened its cooperation with the  World Tourism Organization  (UNWTO), the  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development  (OECD) and the  Council of Europe  (CoE). 

In addition, to attract more tourists from non-EU countries, the Commission also cooperates with the  European Travel Commission  (ETC), a non-profit organisation promoting Europe as a tourist destination in strategic non-EU countries. The ETC gathers 34 European national tourism organisations from 33 countries in Europe. Since 2012, the Commission has co-financed the marketing and promotion of ‘Destination Europe’ via dedicated ad-hoc grants, notably via a  Joint Promotion Platform . It is responsible for  VisitEurope.com .

Travellers’ rights

Travellers benefit from  dedicated protection under EU law , notably in case of delays. This right exists not only for air and rail passengers but also for those that use buses, coaches or ships as means of transport. 

Holidaymakers booking a package holiday and/or linked travel arrangements benefit from a high level of consumer protection under EU rules. The  Package Travel Directive  covers pre-arranged package holidays, but also self-customised packages, where the traveller chooses different elements from a single point of sale online or offline. Furthermore, these rules provide certain protection for linked travel arrangements, which is when for example the traveller books a flight on a website and is then invited to book a hotel on a different website.  The Package Travel Directive is currently under review.

The legislative framework relevant to EU tourism is very broad and encompasses e.g. dedicated  protection of travellers with disabilities ,  required documents for travelling ,  specific rules for travelling to and from the UK ,  requirements for the prevention of COVID-19  or  rules for travelling with pets .

More information

• Transition pathway for tourism – co-creation and co-implementation 
• Green transition of tourism
• Digital transition of tourism
• Resilience of EU tourism
• Skills for the EU tourism workforce
• Commitments and pledges for the transition of EU tourism

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European Tourism 2024 – Trends & Prospects (Q1/2024)

Publication date: May 2024

Language: English

AS CONSUMERS CONTINUE TO PRIORITISE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES, 2024 IS SET TO BE A BUSY YEAR FOR EUROPEAN TOURISM

Data across reporting destinations shows that Europe is experiencing sustained growth in international tourism volumes. With the most recent data available for the full year of 2023, foreign arrivals reached 1.2% below 2019 levels, while foreign overnights recovered to just 0.2% below. This revival continued into the first few months of 2024, which – although based on a smaller number of reporting destinations – showed an increase of 7.2% and 6.5%, respectively, over the same period in 2019.

Year-to-date arrivals data shows that trends regarding the spread of travellers across European destinations have continued from 2023 into 2024. Southern European destinations, and especially those known for their relative affordability, have excelled in attracting international visitors in the first months of the year. Serbia (+46.9%), Bulgaria (+38.8%), Türkiye (+35.3%), Malta (+34.8%), Portugal (+16.9%), and Spain (+14.0%), reported the highest growth rates compared to 2019. Meanwhile, the Baltics continued to lag in their recovery, with international arrivals below 2019 levels for Lithuania (-14.0%), Estonia (-15.1%) and Latvia (-33.5%).

Consumers will continue to prioritise spending on travel over other leisure expenditures in 2024, leading to higher volumes of travellers from intra-European and long-haul markets. Forecasts suggest tourists will spend €742.8bn euros in Europe in 2024, a rise of 14.3% on last year. Travellers’ expenditure on food and beverages is projected to surge by 30% compared to 2023, posing good prospects for providers of gastronomic experiences in Europe. Similarly, growth in spending is expected for recreation, culture and sport (+27%), retail (+23%), transport (+23%) and accommodation (+19%), driven by both inflationary pressures as well as demand preferences. A balancing act will be required from suppliers to ensure that higher prices do not lead to poorer perceptions of value-for-money.

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Europe Tourism Market Bwc20089

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Europe Tourism Market, By Type (Local/Domestic and International), By Purpose (Adventure, Business, Medical, Religious and Others), By Country (France, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Austria, Greece and Others); Trend Analysis, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 - 2026

• Published Date: July 2020
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