Joanna Prusinska
February 18 (Reuters) – Chinese and Indian tourists will make up for a potential slowdown in U.S. tourist arrivals to Europe this year, with international tourist arrivals to the continent rising 6.2% this year, according to data released by the European Travel Council on Wednesday.
It is the first sign that the post-pandemic surge in U.S. travel to Europe is slowing, driven by a stronger dollar and a resilient North American economy.
Americans will be less willing to travel to Europe in 2026 than in 2025, a trend driven by worsening economic concerns and geopolitical instability, according to an early study from the European Travel Council industry group.
Compared with 2025, the number of Chinese tourists to Europe is expected to increase by 28%, the number of Indian tourists will increase by 9%, but the number of tourists from the Americas will only increase by 4.2%.
According to aviation intelligence platform Cirium, bookings from Europe to the United States fell 14.2% year-on-year between October 7 and the end of January, while bookings from the United States to Europe fell 7.3%.
Although interest from core U.S. tourists has waned, long-haul visitor numbers and spending in Europe are still growing steadily, suggesting that tourists still willing to come to Europe are more focused on high-value experiences, keeping the European travel market stable.
Miguel Sanz, president of the European Travel Council, said in a statement: “Europe continues to stand out as a reliable destination well-positioned to meet the changing demand for more flexible travel and experience-led journeys.”
“It’s particularly encouraging that traveler spending is growing faster than arrivals, allowing destinations to focus more on value rather than volume.”
According to a new report, travel spending in Europe is expected to grow by 9.7% by 2025.
This is consistent with reports from major European airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France-KLM that bookings for their premium products have risen steadily, while economy class bookings have fallen for transatlantic travel.
Air France-KLM announced its full-year results for 2025 on Thursday.
(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska; Additional reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Jan Harvey)