As specified by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), domestic tourism refers to all travel-related activities of resident visitors within the country of reference. In Europe, the domestic segment plays a fundamental role in supporting the travel and tourism market, accounting for just above two-thirds of
in the region in 2022. That year, the
exceeded one trillion U.S. dollars, nearly catching up with the figure reported in 2019, the year before the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. When comparing
, Germany reported the highest expenditure in Europe in 2022, with German residents spending over 300 billion U.S. dollars on trips within their country.
Has domestic tourism in Europe recovered from the impact of COVID-19?
In 2022, the
number of domestic tourist arrivals in accommodation establishments in the European Union totaled over 590 million. While this figure denoted a 35 percent increase compared to the previous year, it remained slightly below the peak in arrivals from 2019. As the number of arrivals showed strong signs of recovery but did not surpass pre-pandemic levels yet, overnight stays followed the same trend. For instance, the
number of nights spent by domestic guests in Germany grew by 100 million from 2021 to 2022 but was still around six percent lower than in 2019. Similarly, while the
number of monthly overnight stays in France bounced back in 2022 and kept on growing in 2023, it recorded a two percent decline in July 2023 compared to 2019. That said, in some cases, domestic travel spending recovered faster from the impact of the health crisis than arrivals and overnight stays. For instance, the
domestic tourism expenditure in Italy went up by three percent in 2022 compared to 2019, amounting to approximately 112 billion euros.
Travel behavior of European domestic tourists
According to a September 2023 survey investigating the
travel intentions of Europeans, roughly a quarter of respondents said they would likely take a domestic trip in the following six months. When breaking down domestic travel plans by country, an April 2023 study revealed that the
share of adults who intended to take a domestic summer holiday trip was highest in France and Italy. Meanwhile, based on a survey conducted from 2019 to 2023, the
share of Britons who take domestic holidays to reduce their impact on the environment rose by three percentage points over the period considered.
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