Amadeus, a leading provider of technology solutions for the travel industry, and UN Tourism have released a new report with extensive data on travel in Europe. The report, ”Travel Insights 2025 – Focus on Europe”, provides in-depth insights into passenger traffic, hotel market indicators, top-performing destinations and new routes in Europe.
The report includes a detailed analysis of passenger traffic and capacity trends from May 2024 to April 2025 and a forecast extending to October 2025. Notable growth figures include a projected 6.7% year-on-year increase for the period April-October 2025 for passenger traffic to Europe, according to data from Amadeus Navigator360™.
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UN Tourism, comments: ”We are delighted to once again partner with Amadeus, one of our valued member organisations, to publish the first ”Travel Insights 2025 – Focus on Europe”. At UN Tourism, we are committed to strengthening our members’ capacity to access strategic data and improve market intelligence. Reliable and up-to-date data is more important than ever for effective tourism management and to be better prepared in an ever-evolving tourism landscape..”
Leading destinations continue to dominate
Classic destinations continue to dominate the wider landscape, with the top ten most booked destinations in Europe for air travel accounting for 70.9% of all trips from May 2024 to April 2025. These were led by Spain, the UK, Italy, France and Germany, just as in the period May 2023 to April 2024 (71.3%).
In terms of available seats to Europe by market, Spain and the UK accounted for 12 % each of the scheduled flight capacity to the region during the period May 2024-April 2025, demonstrating continued dominance as European gateways.
However, the most dynamic growth is occurring outside these traditional leaders.
Among the top 30 tourist destinations, Azerbaijan was the fastest growing country, with an increase in flight bookings of 26% between May 2023-April 2024 and May 2024-April 2025. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan (7 %) and the Czech Republic (6 %) also saw more modest increases in bookings during the period.
Focus on Northern Europe
Northern Europe dominates the ranking of the top 10 destinations in Europe with the largest increase in search volumes.
Travel interest has increased sharply for destinations such as Norway (39%), Finland (36%), Georgia (33%), Albania (30%), Sweden (25%) and Denmark (24%), compared to May 2024-April 2025 compared to the previous year. However, the actual booking increase for the same period is more moderate.
Who seeks out and visits Northern Europe?
The US and UK remain the top origin markets in terms of both searches and actual arrivals, underscoring their consistent demand and travel conversion for Northern Europe.
Several markets in Asia and the Middle East – China (155%), Japan (48%), Saudi Arabia (47%), Thailand (19%), Hong Kong (19%) – are among the fastest growing in terms of search activity, and some, such as Japan (18%), Saudi Arabia and Ireland (both 10%), are also showing double-digit booking growth.
Recommendation for destination management organizations (DMOs): There may be value in exploring more targeted engagement in high-growth markets like Japan, China and Saudi Arabia – particularly through partnerships or campaigns that address booking conversion and promote accessibility to Northern Europe.
Which cities do travelers visit in Northern Europe?
London continues to lead in both search interest and bookings, maintaining its top spot in both categories compared to last year, confirming its role as an anchor city for travel to Northern Europe.
Several Nordic growth cities – such as Tromsø (TOS), Rovaniemi (RVN) and Bergen (BGO) – are seeing strong growth in searches (between 41% and 64%) and a more moderate increase in bookings (between 3% and 7%), indicating that travelers are increasingly interested in nature-based and seasonal destinations.
Destinations such as Stavanger (SVG), Trondheim (TRD) and Gothenburg (GOT) are in the top 10 list of search growth but are not yet reflected in the list of fastest growing bookings, demonstrating the conversion potential if supported by the right asset and marketing.
Optimistic European background
The development comes against a positive backdrop in the European hotel market. Data from Amadeus Navigator360™ shows that Western Europe – which includes Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands and Switzerland – saw a modest increase in occupancy rates over the past year, from an average of 67 % between May 2023 and April 2024 to 68 % between May 2024 and April 2025. Over the same period, the average daily rate (ADR) increased from USD 198.32 to USD 204.24 across the region.
A similar pattern was seen in Northern Europe – which includes Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the UK – where the load factor increased from an average of 73% between May 2023-April 2024 to 75% between May 2024-April 2025. ADR in Northern Europe overall – and in the UK specifically – is relatively stable throughout the year, ranging between 190 and 230 USD.
Sweden and Norway have the lowest ADR levels in the region, often below USD 160. This price positioning may appeal to budget-conscious travelers, but also presents an opportunity to optimize returns, especially during peak season months.
Javier Campo, VP of Commercial, Europe, Hospitality, Amadeus, adds: ”Data from Amadeus Navigator360™ shows that both traffic and capacity follow a well-known seasonal pattern with peaks in July and August, reflecting strong demand for summer travel. Interestingly, capacity is consistently higher than actual passenger traffic for most of the timeline, particularly in the period April-September 2025. This suggests that airlines are planning ahead of demand, perhaps to anticipate continued growth or to try to stimulate it.
”For DMOs, it may be worth considering initiatives that support the development of year-round tourism, especially during peak and low seasons, to better adapt to available flight capacity and consistent demand throughout the year.”
According to a press release.
