Event-driven tourism grows 7% in Europe in 2025

# tags: Case Study , Events , Meetings Industry

In 2025, event-driven tourism in Europe remained dynamic, with total tourism expenditure growing 7% year-on-year.

An analysis by Mabrian and Data Appeal (conducted in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) indicates that the United Kingdom, Germany and France are the destinations that account for most of the expenditure associated with events, but it is Belgium (up 20%), the United Kingdom and Ireland (up 10% each) that are the countries with the highest growth in 2025.

Sport (41.4%) and exhibitions (29.4% – the segment with the most consistent growth in all countries) account for most of the tourism expenditure related to events, according to the report, which looked at figures in the areas of food and drink (48.4%), hotels (33%) and transport (18.6%).

In France, the United Kingdom and Spain, tourism expenditure increased in almost all event categories; in Austria, Greece, Ireland and the Netherlands, there were significant increases in tourism expenditure related to sporting events and exhibitions; and in Italy, Belgium and Germany, there was an increase in expenditure associated with the MICE segment, particularly in conferences and exhibitions.

The analysis shows that the vast majority of events held in 2025 were music concerts, professional conferences and sporting events. Sports-related events dominate in Spain, Belgium, Sweden and Greece, while concerts lead in Germany, Ireland and France, and conferences in the United Kingdom and Italy.