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Date: 9 October 2026
Europe can secure a larger share of the next decade's Travel & Tourism growth by acting on eight strategic priorities, according to a new report from WTTC, released today at WTTC's 26th Global Summit in Valletta.
The eight priorities are aligned with WTTC's globally endorsed strategic priorities, approved by its Executive Council, ensuring Europe's recommendations reflect the key growth, investment and competitiveness priorities identified by the global Travel & Tourism private sector.
Travel & Tourism in Europe: A Deep Dive Into Growth, Outlook and Policy sets out the scale and economic contribution of Travel & Tourism across Europe, from GDP, jobs and visitor spending to source markets, investment and the outlook to 2036. It then identifies eight strategic priorities, each reviewing the policies already in place across the EU and the wider region, and setting out practical recommendations to build on them. The report comes at a time of strong policy momentum, as countries across Europe roll out new national tourism strategies, the European Commission prepares the Union's first dedicated tourism strategy, and negotiations continue on the EU's 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
The sector contributed almost US$3 trillion to Europe's GDP in 2025, 9.4% of the region's economy, and supported 40.7 million jobs, around one in ten. Countries outside the EU account for more than a quarter of that contribution (US$834 billion), led by the UK, Europe's second-largest Travel & Tourism economy. It is forecast to grow 3.1% in 2026, well ahead of the 1.1% forecast for the wider European economy.
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, said: "Europe already welcomes almost half of the world's international travellers. As global travel keeps growing, Europe is well placed to extend that leadership, and the choices governments make now will decide how much of that growth comes here. Our research shows where policy can make the greatest difference: faster digital visas, more visitors from beyond Europe, stronger investment and a skilled workforce.
From new national tourism strategies to the EU's first tourism strategy and its next long-term budget, policymakers across Europe have a rare opportunity to treat Travel & Tourism as the strategic sector it is. We stand ready to work with governments and institutions across the region to turn this ambition into results for communities across Europe."
Eight priorities for Europe
Enhance secure and seamless travel. Schengen states issued 5.3 million multiple-entry visas in 2025, 40% fewer than in 2019, and their share of all visas issued fell from 59% to 51.7%. WTTC recommends accelerating the digital Schengen visa, restoring the use of multiple-entry visas, creating an EU-wide trusted traveller scheme with reciprocal recognition of programmes such as US Global Entry, and agreeing a workable framework for biometrics at EU airports.
Diversify source markets. Almost three-quarters (74.3%) of international arrivals to Europe in 2025 came from within Europe. Excluding travel within the region, Europe's travel trade balance moves from a US$33.9 billion surplus to a deficit of roughly US$45 billion: Europeans spend more on trips beyond the region than visitors from beyond Europe spend here. Arrivals from Asia-Pacific remain 4.8% below 2019, with China still 43.2% below pre-pandemic levels and Japan and South Korea around 30% below. WTTC recommends public-private marketing partnerships in long-haul markets, market-mix targets alongside volume targets, stable promotion budgets, and campaigns paired with easier visa access.
Boost Travel & Tourism investment. Investment in Europe's sector reached US$259 billion in 2025, up 7.1% year-on-year but still 3.6% below 2019 and behind Asia-Pacific (US$395 billion) and North America (US$273 billion). WTTC is calling for Travel & Tourism to be recognised as a strategic ecosystem in the 2028–2034 MFF, with direct access to EU investment instruments, alongside legal certainty, regulatory stability and better access to finance for SMEs.
Advance sustainable tourism. The sector accounted for 6.3% of Europe's greenhouse gas emissions in 2024, and its emissions intensity fell 14.8% between 2019 and 2024. With Mediterranean destinations capturing 52.2% of Europe's international visitor spending and highly exposed to heat and water stress, WTTC recommends investment in climate adaptation, water and waste management and nature protection, faster uptake of sustainable aviation and maritime fuels, and better physical and digital accessibility.
Champion destination stewardship. International arrivals to Europe are forecast to reach 1.14 billion by 2036, up from 757.3 million in 2025. WTTC recommends planning that integrates housing, mobility and local services, a move from volume to value-based targets, data tools to spread visitors across places and seasons, and visitor levies that are transparent and ringfenced for destination management.
Attract and upskill talent. Travel & Tourism is one of Europe's leading employers of young people, who hold 13.1% of direct jobs against 8.3% across the wider economy. Demand for workers is outpacing supply: the workforce in Germany and Greece is projected to fall 26% and 27% short of demand by 2035. WTTC recommends apprenticeship pathways, wider recognition of the Hospitality and Tourism Skills Passport, and early completion of the UK-EU Youth Experience Scheme.
Support AI Adoption Across Travel & Tourism. Artificial intelligence can make Europe’s Travel & Tourism sector more competitive, resilient and responsive to changing traveller needs, while helping destinations manage demand more effectively. To ensure tourism businesses, particularly SMES, are not left behind, policymakers should provide targeted support through grants, skills training, expert advice and access to shared digital tools. AI regulation must also remain human-centred, transparent and proportionate, enabling innovation while protecting travellers and supporting inclusive growth.
Expand Connectivity. Seamless travel and source-market diversification depend on stronger air, rail, maritime and road connections, including to islands, rural areas and peripheral regions. Better connectivity can broaden access to visitor spending, support year-round employment and help ease pressure during peak periods. Policymakers should enable simpler multimodal journeys through interoperable travel information, accessible booking platforms and integrated ticketing across modes and borders, alongside practical decarbonisation measures that expand lower-emission options while protecting essential air links for destinations with limited alternatives.
A policy window for the EU
The report finds the EU policy architecture is taking shape. The forthcoming EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy, the European Parliament's April 2026 resolution calling for tourism to be treated as a strategic economic sector with dedicated funding, and the Council's May 2026 conclusions together give the EU the opportunity to place Travel & Tourism at the centre of its competitiveness agenda, supported by stronger public-private coordination, investment, connectivity and proportionate regulation.
Europe's Travel & Tourism economy at a glance
Europe remains the world's leading region for international tourism, with 757.3 million international overnight arrivals in 2025, 49.1% of the global total, and US$835 billion in international visitor spending, 41% of the world total. Germany is the region's largest Travel & Tourism economy at US$566 billion, followed by the UK (US$380 billion), France (US$312 billion) and Spain (US$291 billion). Spain leads Europe in international visitor spending at US$130 billion, with in-destination spending per visitor of US$796, 1.7 times the European average.
Malta, host of this year's Global Summit, was one of Europe's standout performers. The sector contributed US$4.6 billion to the Maltese economy in 2025, up 16.8% against 4% for the wider economy, accounted for 16.6% of GDP and supported one in five jobs. International visitor spending reached US$3.9 billion, 47.5% above 2019.
Over the next decade, Travel & Tourism's contribution to Europe's GDP is forecast to grow at an annualised 2.2%, reaching US$3.8 trillion by 2036 and supporting more than 50 million jobs, 8.3 million more than in 2026.
Notes to editors
The full report is available here. WTTC's Economic Impact Research is produced in partnership with Oxford Economics and with Chase Travel, WTTC’s Lead Research Partner. Forecasts reflect economic and geopolitical conditions at the time of publication and may be revised.
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About the World Travel & Tourism Council
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is the global body representing the private sector of Travel & Tourism and the leading authority on the sector’s economic and social contribution worldwide. Its members include Chairmen, Presidents and CEOs of the world’s leading travel and tourism companies across hotels, airlines, airports, cruise lines, tour operators, technology platforms and destinations, spanning every major region globally.
WTTC works to advance sustainable growth across the Travel & Tourism sector by driving collaboration between industry leaders and governments, shaping global policy, and providing authoritative research on the sector’s economic impact worldwide.
About Chase Travel Group
Chase Travel Group is a global, full‑service travel provider within JPMorganChase. It delivers a wide range of services, including personalized travel planning and management, leisure and business bookings, B2B travel solutions, event services, and corporate travel consulting. The portfolio includes Chase Travel, VWT by ChaseTravel, FROSCH by Chase Travel, and Chase Travel Corporate Solutions. Together, these brands combine advanced technology with high‑touch service to provide seamless, end‑to‑end travel experiences.