Almost eight million new jobs within the next decade are expected to be created in Europe.
The forecast by the World Travel & Tourism Council also shows the sector will be a driving force behind Europe’s economic recovery, following more than two years of Covid restrictions.
The travel and tourism sector is expected to grow at twice the rate of the overall economy at a rate of 3.3% a year over the next ten years.
The global tourism body’s latest economic impact report also reveals Europe’s travel and tourism GDP is forecast to grow by 31.4% to €1.73 trillion.
WTTC president and chief executive Julia Simpson said: “Europe’s travel and tourism sector is in a strong recovery. It looks set to create up to eight million new jobs over the next 10 years.
“In terms of contribution to Europe’s economy and jobs, the sector will almost reach pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year as the sector’s recovery continues its momentum.
“The recovery in 2021 was slower than expected due to the impact of the Omicron and the unco-ordinated response by European governments around border closures which failed to stop the spread of the virus, but did cause real and lasting damage to economies and livelihoods.”
A 4.7% increase in the number of sector jobs last year accounted for just over 9% of all jobs, in marked contrast to a 12.5% fall the previous year.
Europe’s bounce back last year was in part driven by growth in key destinations such as Greece, which saw a year-on-year improvement of 75%, Turkey (61%), and Italy (59%).