At the 25th Global Summit held in Rome, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) unveiled new statistics illustrating Europe’s dominant role in global tourism. The data show that Europe’s travel and tourism sector is not only recovering but also surpassing pre-pandemic benchmarks, making a significant contribution to regional GDP and employment.

Among the trends highlighted, growth in international visitor spending, rising domestic tourism demand, and the resilience of European destinations across geographies and market sizes stand out. While larger markets, such as Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain, continue to drive volume, smaller countries have also posted remarkable gains, demonstrating that even less prominent destinations are capitalising on the tourism rebound.

The article draws attention to ongoing challenges as well: dependency on international tourism in certain markets, the pressure to maintain sustainability and manage overtourism, and the need to ensure that infrastructure and service capacity can keep pace. It argues that Europe’s continued success will depend on strategic reinvestment, innovation, improved connectivity, and more equitable distribution of tourism benefits.

We recommend reading the full article to explore the detailed data, country comparisons, breakdowns by visitor type, and projections for 2025 and beyond.

#Tourism indicators #Destination management #Tourism development