With Croatia being the only significant outlier, the GDP of the United Kingdom and other EU members as well as the GDP of the United States in 2022 was still lower than it was prior to the pandemic.

According to Statista data, Croatia was the only country in the EU to recover from the travel and tourism sector’s 2022 GDP contribution—and to surpass it. The GDP of Croatia was almost entirely derived from this industry.

In 2022, Portugal and Greece were notable contenders as well, with travel and tourism accounting for 15.8% and 18.5 percent of their respective GDPs, respectively. Many European economies rely heavily on travel and tourism, with Greece, Portugal, and Spain being the most affected.

There were a few exceptions, but the travel and tourism industry contributed less than 8% of GDP to the majority of EU member states.

For example, Spain’s share was significant in 2022 at 13.6 percent, slightly lower than in 2019 at 14.1 percent. Notable contributions were also made by Malta and Cyprus, which contributed 12.6 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively, in 2022 as opposed to 13.7 percent and 15 percent in 2019. Italy’s percentage remained comparatively constant, rising from 10.6 percent in 2019 to 10.2 percent in 2022.

A number of other nations also made significant contributions, including Austria, the UK, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany, Estonia, Luxembourg, and France.

Conversely, in certain nations, the travel and tourism industry made up less than 8% of their GDP. The percentage of Finland, for example, dropped from 7.7 percent in 2019 to 6.6 percent in 2022. Additionally, Sweden saw a decrease, going from 7.1 percent in 2019 to 6.7 percent. Bulgaria’s contribution decreased from 9.9 percent in 2019 to 6.5 percent in 2022, while Hungary’s contribution decreased from 8.3 percent to 6.6 percent. In a similar vein, Latvia’s portion dropped from 7.6 percent to 6.4 percent in 2019.

Furthermore, less than 6% of the GDPs of a number of nations, including Denmark, Romania, Belgium, Slovakia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Poland, and Ireland, came from travel and tourism in 2022.

Ireland contributed the least to GDP among EU members, at only a percent of three.

With a 9.5 percent contribution in 2022—down from 10.8 percent in 2019—Austria stood out in Central Europe. Estonia stood out among the Baltic nations, contributing 8.7% of its GDP in 2022 as opposed to 12.3% in 2019.

The GDP of Europe derived from travel and tourism in 2019 was over €1,981.23 billion; however, by 2022, this amount had dropped to €1,838.65 billion. Comparably, in the UK, the contribution dropped from €235.59 billion in 2019 to €224.78 billion in 2022.