Sustainability Becomes Part of Everyday Operations 

Sustainability stopped being a promise and started becoming practice. In 2025, more tourism businesses and destinations embedded sustainability into everyday decisions — from energy use and mobility choices to destination planning. Across Europe, tourism actors adopted clearer sustainability strategies, climate roadmaps and environmental indicators. This shift reflected both evolving EU policy and travellers’ growing preference for responsible and transparent tourism offers.

At EU level, the EU Tourism Dashboard, updated in December 2025, expanded to 35 indicators across environmental, digital, and socio-economic dimensions. For destinations, this meant better insight, clearer benchmarks and stronger tools for action, particularly in energy efficiency, emissions monitoring and climate adaptation.

Meanwhile, interest in slow, local and community-based tourism continued to rise. Travellers increasingly sought experiences rooted in culture, nature and authenticity, allowing tourism to support local economies and bring visibility to lesser-known regions.

Digital Tools Improve Efficiency and Experience 

Behind the scenes, digitalisation quietly reshaped how tourism works. In 2025, digital tools helped businesses manage bookings, anticipate demand and guide visitors more smoothly through destinations.

Practical applications of artificial intelligence gained traction, particularly in customer service, demand forecasting and operational optimisation. Chat-based customer interfaces, predictive analytics for capacity planning and dynamic pricing tools were increasingly adopted, especially by larger operators and destination management organisations.

At the same time, not all businesses moved at the same pace. Strengthening data quality, interoperability and basic digital capabilities remained a priority, with EU-supported initiatives playing an important role in raising awareness and supporting gradual uptake across regions with differing levels of readiness.

Changing Travel Patterns 

Travellers in 2025 did not just travel more — they travelled differently. Destinations increasingly promoted off-season travel and regional alternatives to reduce pressure on popular hotspots and spread tourism benefits more evenly.

Experiences mattered more than volume. Wellness, cultural tourism and outdoor activities continued to attract interest, while improved connectivity made regional and less-visited destinations easier to reach.

According to UN Tourism, Europe welcomed approximately 625 million international tourist arrivals in January–September 2025, about 4% more than in the same period of 2024, reflecting sustained interest in European destinations and reinforcing the need for sustainable growth management. The challenge was no longer attracting visitors but managing growth in a way that works for destinations and communities alike.

Skills and Workforce Challenges Remain 

Behind every tourism experience is a workforce — and in 2025, that workforce remained under pressure. Labour shortages affected accommodation, hospitality and related services across the EU:

• Ninety-two percent of tourism SMEs reported difficulties hiring skilled staff, primarily due to a lack of applicants.
• Ten to twenty percent of hospitality positions went unfilled, equating to nearly one million vacancies across the EU. 

In response, training and upskilling initiatives expanded, with a stronger focus on digital skills, sustainability expertise, and customer-service excellence. Programmes linked to the EU Pact for Skills helped open new training pathways and strengthen cooperation across the sector. 

EU-supported programmes also helped raise the visibility of skills initiatives, enabling tourism stakeholders to adapt to technological innovation and regulatory change, while improving tourism careers’ attractiveness and quality. 

Awards and Industry Recognition

Across Europe, 2025 also brought moments of celebration and recognition.

Rail Tourism Awards 2025: These awards, organised by the European Travel Commission and Eurail, spotlighted innovative rail marketing campaigns that promote sustainable, low-impact, and region-diversifying travel across Europe. Twenty-three submissions were received this year, with winners including Go Sustainable (Switzerland Tourism, Eurostar, Evolve Events & partners) for Best International Campaign, Swiss Bliss (Rail Europe) for Best National Campaign, Sowing a Sunny Tomorrow (Slovenske železnice) for Best Green Campaign, and Feelings on Track (Sweet x SilverRail) receiving the Jury Prize.

World MICE Awards 2025: At the 6th edition of the World MICE Awards, held in Bahrain, Lisbon was named Europe’s Best MICE Destination 2025, marking its third time winning the award. This recognised the city’s strong infrastructure, hotel capacity, accessibility, and professional event services.

European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2025: Benidorm in Spain was awarded the title of European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2025 by the European Commission. The recognition highlighted the city’s achievements in smart water and energy systems, accessibility, and climate adaptation, along with its year‑long programme to share best practices in sustainable tourism.

Strengthening Market Links through Tourism and MICE Events

Regional tourism organisations engaged actively in major European tourism and MICE-sector events throughout 2025. Their participation helped build stronger market relationships, attract international delegations, and support the professionalisation and visibility of emerging destinations. 

Destinations Leveraging EU-wide Platforms for Sustainable Partnerships

Many destinations used EU-wide platforms (such as the EU Tourism Platform and sector networks) to promote their sustainable tourism offers, share best practices, and establish cross-border partnerships - reinforcing the shift toward collaborative destination marketing and environmental responsibility.

Climate and Transport Legislation 

TheFuelEU Maritime Regulation, effective from 1 January 2025, introduces a progressive reduction in the greenhouse gas intensity of fuels used by ships within the EU and EEA. It sets an initial 2% reduction in 2025, rising to –6% by 2030 and –80% by 2050, measured on a lifecycle (“well-to-wake”) basis. The rule applies to ships over 5,000 gross tonnage calling at EU ports. Additionally, passenger and container vessels must use onshore power supply (OPS) or zero-emission technologies when berthed, reinforcing the EU’s commitment to cleaner connectivity for cruise and ferry tourism.

Similarly, the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, also effective from 2025, requires aviation fuel suppliers to ensure that at least 2% of transport fuel at EU airports comes from Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). This share will increase annually, reaching 6% by 2030, with a 1.2% sub-quota for synthetic aviation fuels by the same year. The regulation also tackles refuelling practices by requiring airlines to procure at least 90% of their fuel needs from EU airports, preventing tankering and supporting aviation decarbonisation while maintaining connectivity for air-dependent destinations.

Transport Investment and Connectivity Initiatives 

In November 2025, the European Commission unveiled the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP) to accelerate the deployment of renewable and low-carbon fuels for aviation and maritime transport. The plan aims to mobilise at least €2.9 billion by 2027, including €2 billion via InvestEU, €300 million through the European Hydrogen Bank, plus additional support via Horizon Europe and the Innovation Fund for synthetic aviation and maritime fuels. STIP also sets a longterm investment outlook to meet projected demand for sustainable fuels by 2035 - roughly 20 million tonnes (13.2 Mt biofuels and 6.8 Mt efuels) - which will require approximately €100 billion in total investment.

In the same month, the Commission presented the EU HighSpeed Rail Action Plan, as part of the TENT framework, outlining measures to expand high-speed rail capacity and improve cross-border connectivity. Key elements include journey time targets - such as Berlin–Copenhagen in about four hours by 2030 and Sofia–Athens in about six hours by 2035 - while improving interoperability (including ERTMS signalling), cross-border ticketing, and financing strategies to complete the TENT high-speed network by 2040. External assessments estimate investment needs ranging between €345 billion and €546 billion, depending on scope and ambition (including ultrahighspeed corridors >250 km/h by 2050).

Reporting, Transparency and Data Governance

In July 2025, the EU is set to roll out the Flight Emissions Label (FEL) - a voluntary, EU-wide emissions disclosure for flights. Passengers booking any flight within or departing from the EU will see a standardized label featuring the estimated greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO₂eq), based on airline data submitted to EASA. This initiative introduces a reliable methodology - factoring in aircraft type, passenger load, freight, and fuel used - and prominently displays a logo during booking to ensure transparency, combat greenwashing, and empower passengers to choose lower-emission options. Airlines can opt in from 1 February 2025, with labels issued by 1 July 2025, covering flights in the 2025 winter season.

Forthcoming EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy 

In 2025, the European Commission announced that the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy will be published in early 2026. To prepare for this, the Commission launched public and stakeholder consultations in mid‑2025, inviting citizens, businesses, and tourism operators to share their views. The strategy is expected to focus on sustainability, inclusivity, innovation, resilience, overtourism, and connectivity. Additional priorities include improving competitiveness, enhancing access to data and AI, developing skills through an EU Tourism Academy, and strengthening branding under the “Destination Europe” initiative.

This forthcoming strategy builds on the Transition Pathway for Tourism (2022) and the EU Agenda for Tourism 2030, aiming to accelerate the green and digital transitions while improving crisis resilience and long-term competitiveness.

While 2025 marked solid progress in sustainability and digitalisation, several persistent challenges continued to shape the tourism sector. Securing adequate funding remained a critical hurdle for many SMEs and destinations aiming to invest in green and digital solutions, with uptake of available programmes still uneven across regions. Capacity gaps and resource limitations among smaller operators often slowed implementation of new technologies and compliance with reporting requirements. The increasing complexity of sustainability and digital compliance frameworks added pressure, even as efforts to simplify standards advanced.

Labour shortages continued to strain service delivery, with many businesses reporting difficulties in recruiting staff with the right skills. Initiatives to boost digital and sustainability competences gained traction, helping businesses adapt to evolving market and regulatory needs. Finally, climate-related disruptions - such as extreme weather events - underscored the urgency of preparedness and adaptation measures to protect destinations and infrastructure.

The year 2025 was characterised by consistent implementation and valuable lessons learned across the tourism sector. Progress on sustainability and digitalisation confirmed that collaborative approaches deliver tangible results but also highlighted the need for stronger coordination across EU, national, and local levels to ensure alignment and impact.

Looking ahead, clear policy guidance, accessible funding, and targeted capacity-building for SMEs will remain critical to help businesses adapt to evolving requirements and leverage opportunities for innovation. Developing workforce skills and providing practical support will be essential to sustain competitiveness and resilience.

Finally, the Transition Pathway for Tourism continues to act as a dynamic, adaptable framework, enabling stakeholders to align efforts, exchange best practices, and turn commitments into measurable outcomes. Its flexibility and practical orientation make it a cornerstone for guiding cooperation and ensuring tourism evolves sustainably, inclusively, and with resilience to future challenges.

Tourism in 2025 marked a quiet turning point. The sector moved beyond recovery and began shaping a more sustainable, digital and resilient future.

While challenges remain — from workforce shortages to uneven readiness — the direction is clear. As Europe prepares its Sustainable Tourism Strategy for 2026, tourism is increasingly positioned not only as an economic sector, but as a contributor to regional development, social cohesion and long-term sustainability.