In the first half of 2026, Europe as a whole saw a 3% increase in tourists – but arrivals were down in Western Europe, partially due to heatwaves.
International tourism grew just 0.4% in the first half of 2026, with Europe seeing a 3% uptick in arrivals, according to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism.
The continent was among the strongest performers, with only Africa seeing a larger growth of 4%.
Some 350 million international tourists visited Europe between January and June this year – but that growth wasn’t uniform.
Both Southern Mediterranean Europe and Central Eastern Europe saw a 4% growth, with Northern Europe up 3%.
On the flip side, arrivals in Western Europe declined 1%, with UN Tourism noting this was “partly due to heatwaves in June and weaker long-haul demand in some destinations during Q2 2026”.
The Middle East saw a 22% drop in arrivals, with South Asia down 5% and South East Asia down 1%.
“The Middle East situation has touched destinations far beyond the region itself and serves as a clear reminder that, in such a connected world, resilience needs to be built everywhere and not just when a crisis begins,” UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nuwais said.
The report notes that in Europe and Asia Pacific, the conflict has “partly shifted tourism demand toward nearby and <a href="https://warsaw.today/the-fix-for-rogue-ai-agents-could-be-more-ai-2/” title=”The fix for rogue AI agents could be more AI”>more accessible destinations”.
Which destinations saw the biggest growth?
In Europe, Moldova had the biggest uptick in tourist arrivals, with a 25% rise in the first half of the year. Greece and Ireland both saw a 15% increase.
Globally, the destinations seeing the biggest rises include El Salvador (+37%), Paraguay (+34%), Bhutan (+31%), Vanuatu (+30%), Palau (+29%), Mongolia (+27%), Uzbekistan (+25%) and South Korea (+21%).
International arrivals are predicted to grow between 1% and 2% for 2026 – down from a forecast of 3% to 4% reported in January.
Source: www.euronews.com
