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Travel is one of the greatest privileges of our generation. In the past, people did not have the opportunity to move freely within Europe for work, study or leisure. Crossing borders was much more difficult administratively, politically and economically. However, nowadays we make the most of travel, as statistics show. In 2023, 65 percent of the population of the European Union (EU) went on a tourist trip.

For us, the Schengen area means free movement without border controls. It is one of the most visible benefits of the European project, as up to 450 million people can move freely between 29 countries. Its history dates back to 1985, when an agreement was concluded between five EU countries – France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

It includes 25 of the 27 EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The latest additions are Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the Schengen area this year. Travelling within the area has become not only a way to get to know other countries, but also a symbol of the freedom and connectivity that many of us take for granted today.

Every day, around 3.5 million people cross national borders and around 1.7 million people live in another Schengen country where they work. European estimates say that around 1.25 billion trips are made within the agreed area every year. The advantage is that non-EU citizens can also travel through Schengen countries without border controls.

Free travel has not always been a given. Source: freepik.com

The year when travel stopped

It wasn’t long ago that the world came to a standstill and we couldn’t leave the country. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the travel segment the hardest, with borders closing, air travel stagnating and many destinations barely surviving. 2020 was the worst year for tourism globally. According to data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), destinations around the world were visited by a billion fewer people than in 2019.

It is only in 2024 that we can talk about a recovery in tourism, and the figures will reach the values ​​​​of the year before the pandemic. Record numbers are also being shown this year, when 125 million tourists visited Europe in the first three months, which is five percent more than in the same period before the pandemic and two percent more than last year. Specifically, Central and Eastern Europe, especially in the Baltic destinations, achieved an increase in tourists this year by eight percent compared to last year.

According to Eurostat, the EU reached 2.99 billion nights spent in tourist accommodation in 2024, which is two percent more than in 2023. The strongest growth was recorded in Luxembourg (+22 percent), Malta (+13 percent) and Latvia (+7 percent). On the contrary, there was a slight decrease in France and Belgium (-1 percent), and in Sweden, Finland and Italy the data remained stable. Interestingly, the growth was mainly driven by foreign tourists, and the number of nights spent by visitors from abroad increased by 58.7 million in 2024, while domestic overnight stays recorded a slight decrease (-5.3 million).

Europeans love to travel around Europe.

While it may seem like we have the world in our hands, the reality is much more local. The majority of trips in the EU were domestic (72.9 percent). This figure varies across countries, with nine out of 10 trips made by residents of Romania and Spain being within their own country. In contrast, in six EU countries, more than half of trips were abroad: Luxembourg (94 percent), Belgium (75.4 percent), Malta (62.8 percent), Slovenia (54.1 percent), the Netherlands (53 percent) and Cyprus (51.7 percent).

Almost 93 percent of all overnight trips taken by EU residents in 2023 were within the European Union. If we limit ourselves to trips with at least four nights, they are more likely to be further from home. Nevertheless, the statistics show us how European tourism is largely self-sufficient. Most people in 2023 traveled for a maximum of a week, almost 84 percent of all trips made.

However, it is important to highlight that 57 percent of all travel spending in 2023 was spent on trips abroad and 43 percent was spent within their own country. In total, EU residents spent an estimated €555 billion on travel. This means that while most trips are domestic, most of the money is spent abroad, as longer trips tend to be more expensive. Europeans also differ in their spending on trips by age. The youngest age group under 24 paid an average of €385, while the 55-64 age group spent the most, up to €524.

EU residents travel most often within Europe. Source: freepik.com

We travel most by car and plane.

The largest share of transportation is by car, accounting for 70.6 percent in 2023, which is almost two percentage points less than the previous year. Air transport improved by 1.6 percentage points to 14.7 percent. This is followed by buses (7.2 percent) and trains (7.1 percent) and finally boat trips (0.4 percent).

Looking at the individual Member States, the highest share of car travel was in Lithuania (85.7 percent), the Netherlands (77.1 percent) and Finland (76.4 percent). Air travel was dominated by Croatia (43.5 percent), followed by Bulgaria (29 percent) and Cyprus (27.4 percent). Malta recorded the highest share of bus travel (15.8 percent), closely followed by Ireland (15.4 percent) and Estonia (12 percent). “Rail transport played an important role in the Netherlands (10.9 percent), Austria (10.5 percent) and France (9.1 percent),” Eurostat said .

If we look at the data from a bird’s-eye view, travel is today one of the most visible expressions of European freedom, but also a mirror of inequalities. According to data from Eurostat, on average three out of 10 people cannot afford a week-long trip. These figures vary across countries, from 11 percent in Luxembourg, for example, to 40 percent in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Greece.

In some Western European countries, more than 80% of the population takes at least one holiday a year, while in others it is less than half. In 2023, seven out of 10 people in nine EU countries took a trip. These are France (85%), the Netherlands (84%), Luxembourg (83%), Finland (81%), Ireland (78%), Austria (77%), the Czech Republic and Germany (74% each) and Sweden (71%). At the other end of the scale are the people of Bulgaria (31%) and Romania (27%).

European travel has recovered faster than many expected. But it also reveals who can afford to be free, and reminds us that this freedom is not taken for granted. The statistics show us not only trends in travel across countries, but also reflect the opportunities available to residents and the differences in their economic realities. Travel is not just about adventure and discovery, but also about access to resources.

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