Tourism in Europe Statistics Everything you need to know
Tourism in Europe Statistics  Everything you need to know
Last updated: Nov 4, 2020 · 4 min read

Traveling statistics in Europe

Europe is a vast territory, waiting for it to be explored. The European Union, currently counting with 27 countries, has a huge variety of destinations to offer that goes from pristine beaches to rocky mountains, old as tale villages, and modern cities.

Are you?:

👉 European exploring your own territory

👉 Have visited Europe already

👉 Planning on visiting

If you tick one of these boxes, then keep on reading!  Because today we bring you some new, fresh stats regarding tourism and traveling in Europe. We collected information about arrivals, motives for traveling, and the most visited European countries and landmarks. Don’t hesitate to use these statistics for inspiration on your next bucket list!

Europe as a destination in the world

According to UNWTO, Europe accounts for 51% of the world’s arrivals. To better picture how Europe performances as a destination here are the total of the arrivals:

  • Europe is ahead, followed by Asia and the Pacific region, which accounts for 25% of the arrivals.
  • The Americas are third, with 15% of the arrivals.
  • Africa only scores 5%
  • The least visited region is the Middle East, with only 4%

Tourism at home

Europe is a big continent with many different destinations to choose from. It is fairly attractive, and not only for people outside of its borders! Let’s take a look at these numbers from UNWTO’s report:

  • 74% of trips were made in the tourists’ own country of residence – this is called “domestic tourism”, and it looks like a solid trend!
  • Europeans spent 65% of international flights inside the EU borders
  • 6 out of 10 Europeans are participants in tourism

But, what are the reasons to travel? It is only for relaxation? Let’s take a look at the motivations for this domestic tourism within the EU:

  • 61% of the respondents said the reason behind their trip was relaxation
  • 24% traveled for health, religion, or other reasons
  • 44% traveled because of work, businesses, or other professional reasons

Most popular destinations in Europe

Europe is not one monotonous, homogeneous region. The variety of destinations offered by different countries presents so many different choices! Greece is not France, and Spain is not Poland, obviously! So let’s find out which country is the most visited in Europe by tourists:

  • France, with 89.9 million visitors every year, making it the most visited country in Europe
  • In the second place, we have Spain, with 81.8 million visitors
  • Italy is in third place with 58.3 million annual visits
  • The UK has 37.7 million visits, which makes it the fourth most-visited country
  • Turkey, with 37.6 million is in fifth place
  • With 37.5 million, we have Germany in the 6th position
  • Austria, in the 7th place, with 29.5 million visitors.
  • And finally, the 10th most visited country, Greece with 27.2 million annual visits

Most visited attractions in Europe

Now that you know the most popular countries in Europe, would you be able to guess what are the most popular attractions?

Unfortunately, it was really hard to choose from all of the attractions that Europe has to offer, so we stuck to the top 10. Maybe they can be useful to inspire you for your next Eurotrip!

  1. Grand Bazaar (Istanbul, Turkey). The Bazaar sees 15 million visitors per year, making it the most visited tourist attraction
  2. Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris, France). With a total of 13.65 million annual visits
  3. Disneyland Park (Marne-la-Vallée, France), tying with number 4th, has a total of 10.5 million visits
  4. Sacré Coeur Basilica (Paris, France), which ties with number 3 with 10.5 million visits as well
  5. Musée du Louvre (Paris, France), with 8.5 million visitors
  6. St. Peter’s Basilica ( Vatican City, Rome, Italy), with 7 million visits per year
  7. Colosseum (Rome, Italy), with 6.9 million visitors
  8. Eiffel Tower (Paris, France), with 6.7 million annual visits
  9. Cologne Cathedral (Cologne, Germany), with a total of 6 million visitors per year, tying with the 10th attraction.
  10. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes (Lourdes, France), with 6 million annual visitors, tying with Cologne Cathedral on number 9th

 

Are you planning a trip to Europe? Maybe even visit several destinations while you’re there! Whatever and wherever you go, don’t forget to check the city you’re in on LuggageHero, for a hands-free, safe trip! Remember to look for your closest certified shop, store your luggage and enjoy your trip!

Don’t forget we also have an app to make things even easier!

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