Europe maintains its position as top global tourist destination, driven by major events and near-pre-pandemic recovery

Europe continues to be the number one destination in tourist arrivals, a ranking unlikely to change in the near future according to UN Tourism.

No continent in the world attracts more tourists than Europe. With over 707 million international tourist arrivals in 2023, the continent generated 54% of all tourist movements in the world. According to data released by UN Tourism, Europe reached 96% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, supported by robust intra-regional demand and travel from US citizens.
UN tourism indicates that travel is continuing to expand in 2024. Data from January to July 2024 indicates an almost complete recovery: Europe was only 1% below its pre-pandemic performance.

At the end of 2023, arrivals to the sub-region of Central/Eastern Europe were still 25.6% below their 2019 performance. During the first seven months of 2024, the market slightly recovered with total international arrivals 23.7% below pre-pandemic numbers.

The impact of UEFA Euro, and the Olympics

Germany, which recovered 93% of pre-pandemic arrivals through June, saw its overnight stays increase by 4.5% in July 2024 during the UEFA Euro 2024 football championship (according to data from the German National Tourist Board). France, which hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games, estimates that total international tourist arrivals remained overall the same during the summer. The first statistics from Atout France point to almost the same number of overnight stays. Paris benefited the most from this golden opportunity, with the number of foreign tourists up by 13% over the Olympic period. European and long-haul overnight stays grew 16% during the 19-day period.