The travel and tourism sector of the European Union (EU) will continue to grow strongly and create 4.5 million new jobs by 2035, bringing the total to more than 30 million, and the contribution of that sector to the EU’s GDP will also increase, according to the new predictions of the World Travel and Tourism Council (VTTC).
The sector will support one in seven jobs across the EU in the next decade, strengthening its vital economic and social role and becoming one of the EU’s most strategically important industries, according to the VTTC.
VTTC’s forecasts show that the contribution of travel and tourism to the GDP will grow to almost 2.3 billion euros, with its economic share increasing to almost 11 percent in the next ten years, and the annual growth rate will exceed the growth of the entire EU economy, writes Hina news agency.
The sector will also contribute more than 900 billion euros annually to EU governments through tax revenues, with the expectation that in the next ten years, the consumption of international visitors to the EU will reach 730 billion euros, and the consumption of domestic visitors will exceed 1.2 billion euros.
Expected growth in 2025.
In addition to the next decade, VTTC predicts the travel and tourism industry in the EU to grow even in 2025, to almost 1.9 trillion euros in GDP, which makes up 10.5 percent of the EU economy.
Employment is also expected to grow to almost 26 million jobs, which would account for 12 percent of all jobs in the EU in that industry, which VTTC marks as a clear sign of the sector’s growing influence.
According to VTTC, the consumption of international visitors in the EU this year will increase to 573 billion euros, or by more than 11 percent compared to last year, and domestic tourism consumption could also increase by 1.6 percent, to around 1.1 billion euros.
VTTC presented these predictions, based on its research on the economic impact of the travel and tourism sector in the EU, this week at a meeting in Brussels, welcoming the appointment of the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, as an “important moment” for the EU and the sector.
This signals a renewed focus on the sector that supports the lives of millions across the continent and plays a key role in driving economic growth, inclusiveness and innovation, VTTC said, emphasizing the importance of the commissioner’s announcement on the creation of the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy.
“The EU travel and tourism sector continues to demonstrate resilience, driving jobs, innovation and regional growth. The next decade is an opportunity to build more connected and sustainable tourism, strengthening resilience in established tourist destinations and opening up new ones across Europe, and the appointment of a Commissioner with a specific mandate for tourism is a strong signal that the EU recognises the power of the sector and supports communities in its development,” commented VTTC President and CEO Julia Simpson.
She told EU governments to “seize the moment” and support the sector with clear frameworks and investments while embracing destination management that will ensure tourism growth benefits both people and the planet.
She also announced that VTTC will organize a global summit in Rome this September with world leaders from the travel and tourism sector, which will further confirm the importance of the EU for the global travel and tourism agenda.
In his VTTC reports, he also referred to the past 2024, in which the travel and tourism sector contributed almost 1.8 trillion euros to the GDP in the EU, which is more than 10 percent of the economy.
This exceeded the level from 2019 by almost 6 percent.
The number of jobs increased by almost 5 percent, to more than 24.5 million, while the consumption of international visitors increased to 515 billion euros, and domestic visitors to around one billion euros.
