25+ Tourism in Europe Statistics, Facts, and Trends [2023]

Author Writer: Max Woolf Max Woolf
October 12th, 2023 6 min read
Tourism in Europe statistics
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We’ve compiled the most recent tourism in Europe statistics, facts, and trends for 2023.

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  • The travel and tourism sector’s revenue is expected to hit €256.82B in 2023.
  • Between 2023 and 2027, the travel and tourism sector’s revenue will grow at a 1.71% CAGR, reaching €275.16B by 2027.
Projected growth of travel and tourism revenue from 2023–2027 reaching €275.16B
  • In 2022, Europe emerged as the world’s most-visited region, with 594.5M tourist arrivals.
  • Spain was Europe’s top destination, with ~71.66M international visitors in 2022.
  • By Q1 2023, Europe regained roughly 95% of its 2019 international tourist numbers.
  • By 2027, online sales will account for 78% of Europe’s travel and tourism revenue.
78% of Europe's travel and tourism revenue will come from online sales
  • In 2022, Europe’s travel and tourism sector contributed over €1.9T to the GDP. This is projected to be €2.04T in 2023 and €2.71T by 2033.

Economic Impact of Travel and Tourism

  • In 2022, Europe’s travel and tourism sector contributed over €1.9T to the GDP. This is projected to be €2.04T in 2023 and €2.71T by 2033.
Travel and Tourism’s GDP Contribution in Europe: 2019–2022, With Projections for 2023 and 2033In Euros
20192.09
20221.9
20232.04
20332.71
  • In 2022, travel and tourism supported roughly 34.76M jobs in Europe, with projections of 36.31M in 2023 and 43.77M by 2033.
Travel and Tourism’s Employment Impact in Europe: 2019–2022, with Projections for 2023 and 2033In Million Jobs
201937.98
202234.76
202336.31
203343.77
  • International tourists spent ~€524 per person in Europe in 2022.
Europe’s International Tourism Spend: 2019–2022, with Projections for 2033In Euros
2019623.1
2022524.1
2023–
2033833.5
  • Domestic tourists in Europe spent about €1.13T in 2022.
Europe’s Domestic Tourism Spend: 2019–2022, with Projections for 2033In Euros
20191.14
20221.13
2023–
20331.40
  • The travel and tourism sector’s revenue is expected to hit €256.82B in 2023.
  • Between 2023 and 2027, the travel and tourism sector’s revenue will grow at a 1.71% CAGR, reaching €275.16B by 2027.
  • By 2027, online sales will account for 78% of Europe’s travel and tourism revenue.

Tourist Arrivals and Growth

  • In 2022, Europe emerged as the world’s most-visited region, with 594.5M tourist arrivals.
Global International Tourist Arrivals by Region: 2005–2022 (in Millions)EuropeAmericasAsia Pacific
2005452.70133.30154.10
2006475.50136.80166.70
2007499.90144.30183.50
2008503.30148.30186.10
2009476.90140.99183.56
2010490.79151.75208.01
2011523.98157.33221.69
2012544.54163.76237.93
2013569.68170.57254.09
2014580.78183.55269.57
2015612.08194.10284.37
2016622201.33306.17
2017677.19210.84324.40
2018716.76215.99346.26
2019743.91219.32360.15
2020239.6369.6159.12
2021304.8881.4924.85
2022594.53155.61100.52
  • In March 2023, Europe welcomed about 40.3M foreign visitors.
Europe’s International Tourist Arrivals: January 2019–March 2023 (in 1,000s)20192020202120222023
January36,47738,0245,49418,40033,379
February37,14337,9175,42822,99533,724
March45,18217,5936,48329,45440,287
April56,1827,4197,17141,821–
May63,3758,64010,89850,270–
June76,6998,74818,51162,702–
July97,07130,53246,72685,534–
August98,00735,14056,21185,082–
September77,53122,72143,87965,129–
October59,04813,54337,37452,569–
November42,2466,45924,75536,279–
December42,9746,57322,51837,190–
  • Central and Eastern Europe is expected to have a 34% annual growth in inbound travelers in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Europe’s Inbound Visitor Increase by Region: 2020, with Projections to 2024 (in %)NorthernWesternSouthern/MediterraneanCentral/Eastern
2020-69.80-58.10-71.40-73.50
2021-6.60-558.7034.40
2022194.90101.9097.1031.90
20231.903.601.2016
202414.802010.9034
  • In 2024, Europe is forecast to see a 17.4% yearly rise in outbound travelers.
Global Outbound Tourist Increase by Region: 2020, with Projections to 2024 (in %)EuropeAmericasAsia Pacific
2020-66.90-68.70-83.70
202119.2010.80-59.10
202297.10121.40236.30
20236.1011.6088.30
202417.4015.9070.30
  • By Q1 2023, Europe regained roughly 95% of its 2019 international tourist numbers.
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Country-Specific Tourism Data

  • Spain was Europe’s top destination, with ~71.66M international visitors in 2022.
Top European Countries by International Tourist Arrivals (2022)In Millions
Spain71.66
Turkey50.45
Italy49.81
United Kingdom30.54
Germany28.46
Greece27.84
Austria26.21
Netherlands15.94
Croatia15.32
Romania12.70
Hungary12.65
Bulgaria10.89
  • In 2022, Spain topped Europe in international tourism earnings, raking in close to €66.88B.
Top European Countries by International Tourism Earnings (2022)In Euros
Spain66.88 
United Kingdom62.56
France54.76
Italy40.64
Turkey37.79
Germany28.90
Portugal20.36
  • In 2022, Germany led Europe in outbound tourism spending, with an expenditure of about €82B.
Top European Countries by Outbound Tourism Spending (2022)In Euros
Germany82.00
France43.75
Italy24.12
Spain19.63
  • Among the EU 27 and the UK, Germany had the top domestic tourism spending in 2019 and 2022, with the 2022 figure being around €291.13B.
Domestic Tourism Expenditure in EU 27 and the UK (2022)In Euros
Germany291.13
United Kingdom185.64
France117.31
Italy107.50
Netherlands61.82
Spain61.09
Sweden21.74
Austria18.53
Belgium17.15
Denmark12.20
Finland11.65
Portugal11.65
Greece10.36
Czech Republic6.24
Poland5.96
Romania5.14
Ireland3.39
Slovakia3.21
Hungary2.48
Croatia2.02
Slovenia1.74
Lithuania1.38
Luxembourg1.19
Latvia1.10
Estonia0.92
Bulgaria0.64
Cyprus0.28
Malta0.28
  • In 2022, travel and tourism made up 25.8% of Croatia’s GDP, the highest in the EU.
Travel and Tourism’s GDP Contribution in EU 27 and the UK (2022)In %
Croatia25.80
Greece18.50
Portugal15.80
Spain13.60
Malta12.60
Cyprus12.20
Italy10.20
Austria9.50
United Kingdom9.50
Netherlands9.40
Slovenia9.20
Germany8.80
Estonia8.70
Luxembourg8.50
France8.20
Finland6.70
Sweden6.70
Hungary6.60
Bulgaria6.50
Latvia6.40
Denmark5.70
Romania5.50
Belgium4.70
Slovakia4.60
Lithuania4.20
Czech Republic4
Poland4
Ireland3
  • In 2022, London emerged as Europe’s most visited city, welcoming over 20M tourists.
Leading European Cities (2022)Number of Visitors in Millions
London20.72
Paris16.86
Istanbul12.12
Antalya10.73
Rome9.70
Prague9.04
Amsterdam8.48
Barcelona6.73
Milan6.51
Vienna6.30

Travel and Tourism Expenditure Distribution

  • In 2022, leisure travel constituted 82.4% of Europe’s total travel and tourism expenditure.
European Travel and Tourism Spend Breakdown by Type: 2019–2022 (in %)Leisure SpendingBusiness Spending
201980.8019.20
202282.4017.60
  • In 2022, domestic travelers accounted for 68.4% of Europe’s total travel and tourism spend, a 3.9% increase from 2019.
European Travel and Tourism Spend Breakdown by Tourist Type: 2019–2022 (in %)Domestic SpendingInternational Spending
201964.5035.50
202268.4031.60

Travel Providers

  • In June 2023, Oriental Land Co. Ltd had the top market capitalization in Europe’s travel and leisure sector, at €50.30B.
Top European Travel and Leisure Firms by Market Cap (2023)In Euros
Oriental Land Co Ltd (Germany)50.30
Flutter Entertainment PLC (Ireland and UK)25.46
Evolution AB (Sweden)25.46
Ryanair Holdings (Ireland and UK)14.77
Live Nation Entertainment Inc (Germany)13.55
Air China Ltd (UK)13.06
United Airlines Holdings Inc (Germany)11.48
Carnival PLC (UK and Germany)10.29
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Germany and Hungary)8.63
ANA Holdings Inc (Germany)7.93
  • In 2022, Lufthansa Group was Europe’s top-earning airline, generating more than €32.10B.
Europe’s Leading Airlines by Revenue (2022)In Euros
Lufthansa Group32.10
Air France-KLM25.97
Turkish Airlines18.12
Easyjet5.90
Ryanair4.88
SAS Group2.65
Finnair2.32
Norwegian1.77
Wizz Air1.69
Jet21.49
  • By 2027, Europe’s “Hotels” segment in travel and tourism will have 283.84M users.
Europe’s Hotel User Numbers: 2018–2027In Millions
2018264.28
2019269.08
202068.19
202188.39
2022242.91
2023273.21
2024276.84
2025279.60
2026281.83
2027283.84
  • By 2027, Europe’s “Vacation Rentals” segment will hit a record 204.35M users.
Europe’s Vacation Rental User Numbers: 2018–2027in Millions
2018197.69
2019199.64
2020100.66
2021131.43
2022177.91
2023198.19
2024200.27
2025201.85
2026203.16
2027204.35
  • The “Package Holidays” segment is predicted to top all four European travel and tourism segments by 2026, reaching €121.35B.
European Travel and Tourism Revenue by Segment: 2017–2027 (in Euros)Package HolidaysHotelsVacation RentalsCruises
2017102.5288.2426.476.98
2018105.8791.0427.217.26
2019107.1193.8828.007.59
202045.9424.0714.381.24
202169.0231.5519.023.91
202292.9789.9926.664.71
2023114.53 101.7329.966.46
2024116.75103.9430.537.53
2025118.64105.7130.988.29
2026120.35107.1731.338.38
2027121.35108.4731.658.48

Stacking It All Up

There you have it.

A comprehensive list of tourism in Europe statistics, facts, and trends.

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FAQ

How many tourists visit Europe every year?

In March 2023, Europe welcomed about 40.3M foreign visitors.

What country in Europe gets the most tourism?

Spain was Europe’s top destination, with ~71.66M international visitors in 2022.

What European country is most dependent on tourism?

In 2022, travel and tourism made up 25.8% of Croatia’s GDP, the highest in the EU.

What’s the most visited city in Europe for Americans?

London is the number one destination for Americans visiting Europe in 2023. It’s followed by Paris, Dublin, and Rome.

What percentage of Europe’s economy is tourism?

In 2022, Europe’s travel and tourism contributed over €1.9T to the GDP. This is projected to be €2.04T in 2023 and €2.71T by 2033.

Sources

  • ETC Corporate, “Quarterly Report – Q2/2023”
  • ETC Corporate, “Quarterly Report – Q4/2022”
  • FT.com, “Global Equity Screener”
  • Statista, “Leading European Airlines Based on Revenue”
  • Statista, “Travel & Tourism – Europe”
  • Statista, “Travel and Tourism in Europe – Statistics & Facts”
  • Travel Off Path, “These Are the 6 Most Popular Cities in Europe for American Travelers according to New Report”
  • UNWTO, “Global and Regional Tourism Performance”
  • World Travel & Tourism Council, “2023 Annual Research: Key Highlights”
  • WorldAtlas, “The 15 Most Visited Cities N Europe”