The analysis estimates that travel booked through Booking.com supported €690,611 billion in total economic output across Europe (EU-27, plus the United Kingdom and Switzerland) in 2025. This activity contributed €344 billion to European GDP, generated €137 billion in tax revenues, supported more than 4.7 million jobs, and was associated with €175 billion in wages.

These impacts extend beyond the tourism sector itself. Visitor spending supports activity across accommodation, food services, retail, transport, entertainment and recreation, while also generating additional demand throughout wider supply chains.

Direct Visitor Spending

According to the analysis, travellers whose trips were booked through Booking.com spent €291 billion during their stays in Europe in 2025. This spending benefited a broad range of businesses, including accommodation providers, restaurants, retailers, transport operators and entertainment venues.

The study estimates that this direct visitor spending contributed €152 billion to GDP and directly supported nearly 2.5 million jobs. The analysis includes both international and domestic travel and covers trips to the 29 European markets included in the study, regardless of travellers’ country of origin.

Methodology

The research was conducted by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, using an Input-Output (I-O) modelling framework to trace how visitor spending flows through the economy. The model captures three layers of impact:

• • Direct impacts, representing initial visitor spending on accommodation, food, transport, retail and other services.

• • Indirect impacts, reflecting purchases made by businesses from suppliers throughout the economy.

• • Induced impacts, generated when employees spend wages earned through direct and indirect economic activity.

For each layer, the model estimates economic output, Gross Value Added (GDP), employment, wages and tax revenues.

Supply Chain and Cross-Border Effects

The findings highlight the interconnected nature of European economies. Visitor spending creates economic effects that extend beyond the destination where the original expenditure occurs, including through supply chains and cross-border trade relationships.

Excluding trade effects, travel booked through Booking.com supported €596 billion in economic output and contributed €303 billion to GDP. Cross-border trade effects added a further €94 billion in output and €41 billion in GDP, illustrating how tourism demand can generate economic benefits across multiple European markets.

Relevance for European Tourism Ecosystems

The findings highlight how digital travel platforms can help tourism businesses, including independent accommodation providers and SMEs, connect with international and domestic demand. By facilitating access to travellers across markets, these platforms can contribute to business activity, employment and regional economic development.

The research also illustrates the broader role of tourism as an economic ecosystem, where visitor spending generates impacts not only for tourism-facing businesses but also for suppliers, service providers and communities throughout Europe.

Input-Output modelling is a well-established methodology used extensively by governments, international organisations, tourism authorities (e.g. UNWTO) and independent economic consultancies to assess the economic impacts of tourism, major events, infrastructure projects and public policy interventions.