International travel recovered to an estimated 1.4 billion arrivals worldwide in 2024, reaching 99% of the 2019 level. The travel industry also generated substantial economic activity: Travel and Tourism contributed US$11.6 trillion to global GDP in 2025 and supported 366 million jobs. The figures below show how that broad recovery appears across destinations, airlines, accommodation, and trips taken by European residents.
Contents
- Global international tourism recovery
- Economic contribution and employment
- Air travel demand and capacity
- EU accommodation and guest origins
- EU resident trips and purposes
- Duration, spending, transport, and rentals
Global international tourism recovery
The UN Tourism report International tourism recovers pre-pandemic levels in 2024 estimated 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals in 2024. That total was 11% higher than in 2023, equivalent to 140 million additional arrivals, and represented 99% of the pre-pandemic level recorded in 2019. These are worldwide arrival estimates for 2024, not a count of unique travelers.
Recovery differed substantially by region. Europe received 747 million international arrivals, making it the world’s largest destination region, and its total was 1% above its 2019 level. The Middle East recorded 95 million arrivals, 32% above its 2019 level. Africa received 74 million arrivals, a 12% increase from 2023. Asia and the Pacific received 316 million arrivals, equal to 87% of its pre-pandemic level.
The regional figures help put the global headline in context. Europe had moved slightly beyond its earlier benchmark by 2024, while Asia and the Pacific was still below its 2019 level. The Middle East had exceeded its comparison level by the widest margin among the regions listed here. All figures in this section come from International tourism recovers pre-pandemic levels in 2024, measured for 2024.
| Destination region | International arrivals in 2024 | Comparison with earlier period |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 747 million | 1% above 2019 |
| Asia and the Pacific | 316 million | 87% of pre-pandemic level |
| Middle East | 95 million | 32% above 2019 |
| Africa | 74 million | 12% above 2023 |
Economic contribution and employment
The World Travel & Tourism Council’s Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research (EIR) reported that Travel and Tourism contributed US$11.6 trillion to global GDP in 2025. The measure includes direct, indirect, and induced impacts. Its contribution grew 4.1% year over year and represented 9.8% of the global economy in 2025.
Employment was similarly broad. Travel and Tourism supported 366 million jobs worldwide in 2025 and accounted for one in three new jobs created globally that year. These figures describe the sector’s wider economic footprint, so they include activity connected to travel as well as direct travel businesses.
Spending separated into domestic and international visitors shows the scale of local travel. Domestic visitors spent US$5.63 trillion in 2025, up 3.7% from 2024. International visitors spent US$2.02 trillion, up 3.2% year over year. The two spending measures use the 2025 reporting period and should not be added to the GDP contribution as though they were the same measure. Source: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research (EIR).
Air travel demand and capacity
Airlines saw demand move ahead of the pre-pandemic benchmark in 2024. The International Air Transport Association reported that global traffic, measured in revenue passenger-kilometres, rose 10.4% from 2023 and stood 3.8% above the 2019 level. Available seat-kilometres increased 8.7% from 2023. The global passenger load factor reached a record 83.5%.
International operations grew faster than domestic operations. International traffic increased 13.6% in 2024, while international capacity increased 12.8%. International traffic was 0.5% above the previous 2019 high, even though international capacity remained 0.9% below the 2019 level. The international load factor finished at a record 83.2%.
Domestic traffic increased 5.7% in 2024 and domestic capacity expanded 2.5%. In the listed domestic markets, India’s load factor was 86.4%, the highest reported figure. At the regional-carrier level, Asia-Pacific airlines recorded a 26.0% increase in international traffic, European carriers grew 9.7%, and Latin American airlines grew 14.4%. African airlines recorded a 74.5% load factor, the lowest among the reported regions but a record high for Africa.
| Air-travel measure | 2024 result |
|---|---|
| Global traffic change from 2023 | +10.4% |
| Global traffic versus 2019 | +3.8% |
| Global available seat-kilometres change | +8.7% |
| Global passenger load factor | 83.5% |
| International traffic change | +13.6% |
| International capacity change | +12.8% |
| Domestic traffic change | +5.7% |
| Domestic capacity change | +2.5% |
The IATA release Global Air Passenger Demand Reaches Record High in 2024 reports these 2024 results. A separate IATA forecast expected airline passenger demand to grow 8.0% in 2025 and capacity to grow 7.1%; those are forecasts for 2025, not measured outcomes. The forecast was published in Strengthened Profitability Expected in 2025 Even as Supply Chain Issues Persist.
EU accommodation and guest origins
Eurostat recorded 3.02 billion nights in EU tourist accommodation in 2024, up 2.7% from 2023. Domestic guests accounted for 51.9%, or 1.57 billion nights. International guests accounted for 48.1%, or 1.45 billion nights. This split shows that EU accommodation demand was almost evenly divided between residents of the destination country and guests arriving from elsewhere.
Among international guest nights, tourists from other EU countries generated 61.6%. Tourists from other European countries generated another 21.3%, while North American guests represented 7.5% and Asian guests 4.9%. The percentages describe the origin mix of international guest nights, not the share of all EU accommodation nights.
Accommodation type also shaped the 2024 total. Hotels and similar accommodation captured 62.8% of EU overnight stays. Holiday and other short-stay accommodation captured 23.7%, and camping grounds, recreational-vehicle parks, and trailer parks captured 13.5%. Together, these categories account for the reported EU overnight-stay distribution.
The source is Eurostat’s Record number of tourism nights in 2024 in the EU. The figures refer to nights in EU tourist accommodation during 2024 and distinguish domestic from international guests.
EU resident trips and purposes
EU residents made nearly 1.2 billion tourism trips with at least one overnight stay in 2024 and spent almost 6 billion tourism nights on those trips. The totals cover residents’ trips, rather than all visitors staying in EU accommodation. Germany recorded 277 million tourism trips, France 240 million, and Spain 149 million. Residents of those three countries together accounted for 55.9% of all EU residents’ tourism trips.
Domestic travel dominated the trip count: 71.3% of EU residents’ tourism trips stayed within the resident’s country. Holidays, leisure, and recreation represented 53.2% of trips, while trips to visit relatives and friends represented 31.6%. Personal-purpose trips represented 89.7% of all trips.
These measures describe different dimensions of travel purpose. A trip can be domestic or abroad, and it can also be classified by purpose. The percentages should therefore be read as separate breakdowns rather than combined into one exclusive ranking. Source: Eurostat’s Tourism statistics - characteristics of tourism trips, covering EU resident tourism trips in 2024.
Duration, spending, transport, and rentals
Trip duration differed sharply by destination. The average EU resident trip lasted 3.9 nights domestically and 7.8 nights abroad in 2024. The international average was therefore measured at twice the domestic average in the Eurostat data, but the underlying source reports the two durations separately and does not establish why the difference occurred.
EU residents spent an estimated EUR 215 billion on tourist accommodation in 2024. The wording “estimated” is important: this is an estimate for accommodation spending, not a complete measure of all travel expenditure.
Private or rented motor vehicles were the main transport mode for 64.1% of EU residents’ tourism trips. Air travel was used for 16.2% and rail for 13.2%. These figures identify the leading modes in the reported transport breakdown and apply to EU residents’ tourism trips in 2024.
Platform-booked short-term rentals added another important accommodation channel. Eurostat reported 854.1 million EU guest nights booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group, or TripAdvisor in 2024. That was an 18.8% increase from 719.0 million nights in 2023. These platform figures cover guest nights booked through the named online platforms and are distinct from the broader 3.02 billion nights recorded in EU tourist accommodation.
The short-stay platform source is New records set by online booking platforms in 2024. The duration, spending, transport, and trip-purpose figures come from Eurostat’s Tourism statistics - characteristics of tourism trips. Together, they show a travel market combining short domestic journeys, longer trips abroad, car-led mobility, and rapidly expanding digitally booked accommodation.