Knowledge documents

09 March 2026

Destination Europe – Where to from here?

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Europe has long been the world’s most visited region – a mosaic of iconic cities, quiet villages, ancient cultures, and striking landscapes that continues to capture the imagination of travellers and those yet to join their ranks. Yet its long-standing leadership can no longer be taken for granted.

Content source Issue Brief by Statista in partnership with Booking.com: Destination Europe – W… Publishing org

Statista

Related Organisation(s)

Booking.com

Booking.com

Topics Geographical descriptors

Albania

Armenia

Austria

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Czechia

Denmark

Estonia

EU-27

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Kosovo

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Moldova

Montenegro

Netherlands

North Macedonia

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Türkiye

Ukraine

Other

Organisation Type

Academic / Research and VET Institutions

Business Support Organisation

Company with 250 or more employees

Cluster Organisations

Consumer Organisations

Cultural and Heritage Organisations

Destination Management & Marketing Organisations

EU Institutions

Financial Institutions and Investors

Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce

International Organisations

Local Authorities

Media / Journalist Organisations

National authorities

Networks and Federations / Confederations

NGOs / Non-profits

Notified Bodies

Regional Authorities

SMEs (a company with less than 250 employees)

Social Economy Entity

Trade Unions

Other

• Specific types of tourism

• • Adventure tourism

  • Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism

  • Cultural tourism

  • Ecotourism

  • Education tourism

  • Festival tourism

  • Gastronomy tourism

  • Health and medical tourism

  • MICE tourism

  • Mountain tourism

  • Religious tourism

  • Rural tourism

  • Sports tourism

  • Urban/city tourism

  • Wellness tourism

• Transition Pathway Strategic Areas

• • Best practices, peer learning and networking

  • Changes in tourism demand and opportunities

  • Circularity of tourism services

  • Coordinated information on travelling

  • Cross-border travelling

  • Digitalisation of tourism SMEs and destinations

  • Governance of tourism destinations

  • Multimodal travelling

  • Tourism strategies

• Business activities

• • Activities of amusement parks and theme parks

  • Activities of associations and other organisations supporting tourism

  • Air passenger transport

  • Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks

  • Events catering and other food services

  • Festivals, cultural and entertainment activities

  • Gardens and nature reserves activities

  • Holiday Housing / Apartments and other short stay accommodation

  • Hotel and similar accommodation

  • Mobile beverage services

  • Mobile food services

  • Museums

  • Operation of historical sites

  • Other

  • Other accommodation

  • Other amusement and recreation activities

  • Other food and beverage services

  • Other holiday reservation services

  • Other tourism transportation activities

  • Rail Passenger transport

  • Recreational and sport activities

  • Restaurants, cafes and bars (Food and Beverage serving activities)

  • Road passenger transport

  • Tour operator activities

  • Travel agency activities

  • Water (sea, coastal and inland) passenger transport

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Global competition for long-haul visitors is intensifying, while traveller expectations are evolving in an experience-driven travel economy. New research conducted by Statista in partnership with Booking.com shows that travellers increasingly approach Europe not as a single destination, but as a collection of diverse places and experiences that they discover online long before their journey begins.

At the same time, Europe’s tourism sector remains a cornerstone of the regional economy, contributing around 10% of GDP and supporting millions of jobs across the continent. Ensuring its long-term competitiveness therefore requires enabling travellers to discover and navigate Europe’s diversity more easily, while supporting destinations in developing authentic experiences that benefit both visitors and local communities.

This issue brief explores how Europe can strengthen its position in the global tourism landscape by making its diversity more visible, improving digital discovery and connectivity, and unlocking opportunities in nature-based and regional tourism.

Documents DestinationEuropeEnglish(4.34 MB - PDF)Download Rating Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 Average: 5 (3 votes) Rate Comments (0) Related content-

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