Spain was Europe’s top destination, with ~71.66M international visitors in 2022.
Top European Countries by International Tourist Arrivals (2022)
In Millions
Spain
71.66
Turkey
50.45
Italy
49.81
United Kingdom
30.54
Germany
28.46
Greece
27.84
Austria
26.21
Netherlands
15.94
Croatia
15.32
Romania
12.70
Hungary
12.65
Bulgaria
10.89
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
Spain
66.88
United Kingdom
62.56
France
54.76
Italy
40.64
Turkey
37.79
Germany
28.90
Portugal
20.36
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
Germany
82.00
France
43.75
Italy
24.12
Spain
19.63
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
Germany
291.13
United Kingdom
185.64
France
117.31
Italy
107.50
Netherlands
61.82
Spain
61.09
Sweden
21.74
Austria
18.53
Belgium
17.15
Denmark
12.20
Finland
11.65
Portugal
11.65
Greece
10.36
Czech Republic
6.24
Poland
5.96
Romania
5.14
Ireland
3.39
Slovakia
3.21
Hungary
2.48
Croatia
2.02
Slovenia
1.74
Lithuania
1.38
Luxembourg
1.19
Latvia
1.10
Estonia
0.92
Bulgaria
0.64
Cyprus
0.28
Malta
0.28
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 %
Croatia
25.80
Greece
18.50
Portugal
15.80
Spain
13.60
Malta
12.60
Cyprus
12.20
Italy
10.20
Austria
9.50
United Kingdom
9.50
Netherlands
9.40
Slovenia
9.20
Germany
8.80
Estonia
8.70
Luxembourg
8.50
France
8.20
Finland
6.70
Sweden
6.70
Hungary
6.60
Bulgaria
6.50
Latvia
6.40
Denmark
5.70
Romania
5.50
Belgium
4.70
Slovakia
4.60
Lithuania
4.20
Czech Republic
4
Poland
4
Ireland
3
In 2022, London emerged as Europe’s most visited city, welcoming over 20M tourists.
Leading European Cities (2022)
Number of Visitors in Millions
London
20.72
Paris
16.86
Istanbul
12.12
Antalya
10.73
Rome
9.70
Prague
9.04
Amsterdam
8.48
Barcelona
6.73
Milan
6.51
Vienna
6.30
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 Spending
Business Spending
2019
80.80
19.20
2022
82.40
17.60
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 Spending
International Spending
2019
64.50
35.50
2022
68.40
31.60
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 Group
32.10
Air France-KLM
25.97
Turkish Airlines
18.12
Easyjet
5.90
Ryanair
4.88
SAS Group
2.65
Finnair
2.32
Norwegian
1.77
Wizz Air
1.69
Jet2
1.49
Tourism Trends and Forecasts
By 2027, Europe’s “Hotels” segment in travel and tourism will have 283.84M users.
Europe’s Hotel User Numbers: 2018–2027
In Millions
2018
264.28
2019
269.08
2020
68.19
2021
88.39
2022
242.91
2023
273.21
2024
276.84
2025
279.60
2026
281.83
2027
283.84
By 2027, Europe’s “Vacation Rentals” segment will hit a record 204.35M users.
Europe’s Vacation Rental User Numbers: 2018–2027
in Millions
2018
197.69
2019
199.64
2020
100.66
2021
131.43
2022
177.91
2023
198.19
2024
200.27
2025
201.85
2026
203.16
2027
204.35
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 Holidays
Hotels
Vacation Rentals
Cruises
2017
102.52
88.24
26.47
6.98
2018
105.87
91.04
27.21
7.26
2019
107.11
93.88
28.00
7.59
2020
45.94
24.07
14.38
1.24
2021
69.02
31.55
19.02
3.91
2022
92.97
89.99
26.66
4.71
2023
114.53
101.73
29.96
6.46
2024
116.75
103.94
30.53
7.53
2025
118.64
105.71
30.98
8.29
2026
120.35
107.17
31.33
8.38
2027
121.35
108.47
31.65
8.48
Stacking It All Up
There you have it.
A comprehensive list of tourism in Europe statistics, facts, and trends.
If you believe your audience will be interested in any of the information we’ve provided, feel free to share it. Just remember to link back to this page as a credit to our work.
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”
As a Digital PR specialist and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Max has 5+ years of writing experience. Over the course of his career, Max’s work has garnered significant attention, with features in numerous prominent publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, Inc., Business Insider, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, BBC, TechRepublic, Glassdoor, and G2.