European City Tourism 2024-2025: A Fresh Phase of Adjustment in Tourist Destinations Across Europe

European City Tourism 2024-2025: A Fresh Phase of Adjustment in Tourist Destinations Across Europe

European city tourism is experiencing a strategic shift, moving towards moderated growth, a stronger emphasis on sustainability, and a redefinition of success beyond quantitative growth metrics. This change is reflected in the slowing down of city tourism growth, which has stabilized after rapid rebound years.

Key findings from the City Travel Report by CityDNA 2024-2025 highlight the urgent need for strategic recalibration in city tourism. The report underscores the maturation of the city tourism market rather than a decline, as popular destinations like London, Paris, and Istanbul continue to dominate total visitor numbers. However, cities such as Milan (+28.1%), Florence (+16.6%), and Vienna (+9.1%) have notably outperformed the top 20 cities, suggesting shifts within the European urban tourism landscape.

Sustainability is becoming a key focus area for European cities. CO₂ emissions per tourist increased by 3.3%, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable travel strategies. Cities are increasingly prioritizing sustainability and shared prosperity as key goals alongside economic recovery. This requires evidence-based policies integrating urban and national tourism agendas to balance growth with environmental impact.

Stakeholders in city tourism are moving beyond purely quantitative growth metrics towards more nuanced definitions of success that include value creation, visitor experience quality, and environmental responsibility. This shift demands improved cooperation among city and national entities and more data-driven strategic planning.

Market dynamics also play a significant role in the evolving landscape of European urban tourism. Long-haul markets such as the US, Japan, and China show strong double-digit recovery, while some regions exhibit regional fluctuations or regulatory challenges impacting short-term rental trends. This complex and evolving environment necessitates a strategic approach to manage and plan for the future.

The report serves as a blueprint for building a smarter, more balanced, and future-fit visitor economy in Europe's cities. It offers in-depth analysis and visualisations to support strategic decision-making by destination marketing and management organisations. The full report also emphasizes the need for longer-term recalibration strategies that prioritize resilience, sustainability, and visitor value.

In summary, European city tourism in 2024–2025 is marked by moderated growth, a decisive pivot to sustainability, and strategic realignment to ensure long-term value and mitigated environmental impact amid changing global travel trends. The focus is now on resilience and innovation to compete effectively in the evolving urban tourism landscape.

[1] City Travel Report by CityDNA 2024-2025 [2] The Guardian - European city tourism: what the data shows [3] Skift - The State of European Urban Tourism in 2024 [4] The Telegraph - European city tourism: a new era of strategic recalibration

1. The City Travel Report by CityDNA 2024-2025 reveals that while cities like London, Paris, and Istanbul continue to dominate the visitor numbers in European city tourism, the strong performance of cities such as Milan, Florence, and Vienna suggests shifts within the urban tourism landscape.
2. As technology advances and lifestyles evolve, the focus in European city tourism has shifted towards sustainability, with cities increasingly prioritizing sustainability, shared prosperity, and evidence-based policies for balancing growth and environmental impact.
3. The travel market dynamics, particularly the strong recovery of long-haul markets like the US, Japan, and China, together with regional fluctuations and regulatory challenges, necessitate a strategic approach to managing and planning for the future of European urban tourism, aiming to create a more resilient, sustainable, and innovative visitor economy.

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