Europe’s Event-Driven Tourism Grows Strongly in 2025

Live Experiences Fuel Tourism Spending Growth

Europe’s event-driven tourism sector maintained strong momentum in 2025, reinforcing its role as a key growth engine for the region’s travel economy. According to a pan-European study by Mabrian and Data Appeal, tourism spending linked to events increased by 7% year on year. This performance reflects sustained demand for live experiences, including sports competitions, concerts, exhibitions and conferences, and highlights their expanding economic footprint across host destinations.

Major Markets Continue to Dominate

The United Kingdom, Germany and France remained the largest contributors to event-related tourism expenditure in Europe. Their leadership is underpinned by mature event ecosystems, international connectivity and the ability to attract large-scale, high-profile events. Even so, growth patterns suggest a qualitative shift, with higher spending per visitor increasingly compensating for slower growth in event volumes in some mature markets.

Fast-Growing Destinations and Changing Demand

Belgium recorded the strongest annual growth in event-related tourism spending, expanding by 20% in 2025. The United Kingdom and Ireland followed with growth of around 10% each. In the UK, this expansion occurred despite a decline in the number of events, signalling a move toward higher-value experiences and increased visitor spending. Similar trends are visible across other European destinations, where depth of engagement is becoming more important than sheer event frequency.

Sports, Exhibitions and the Economic Multiplier Effect

Sports and exhibitions emerged as the dominant drivers of event-related tourism expenditure, together accounting for the majority of spending. The exhibition and expo segment showed particularly consistent growth across all countries analysed. Notably, food and beverage spending represented nearly half of total event-related tourism expenditure, underscoring the central role of gastronomy in shaping visitor experience and amplifying local economic impact.

Events as a Tool for Sustainable Destination Development

The data reveals diverse national patterns, ranging from broad-based growth across event categories in countries such as France, the UK and Spain, to more specialised growth focused on sports and exhibitions in Greece, Ireland and the Netherlands. Italy, Germany and Belgium aligned closely with the European average, supported by steady expansion in MICE tourism. Across the continent, events are increasingly viewed as instruments to redistribute tourism demand across regions and seasons, strengthening long-term destination resilience.

As reported by experts at International Investment, the continued expansion of event-driven tourism in Europe highlights the strategic value of events beyond short-term visitor numbers. When aligned with long-term development goals, event strategies can generate lasting economic benefits, attract targeted investment and enhance the sustainability of tourism ecosystems.