Tourists sit on the deck of a cruise boat on the Seine River in Paris, France. rui vale sousa / Shutterstock.comEurope remains the world’s largest leisure travel market by spending, while new booking data suggests extreme summer heat may be influencing when travellers choose to visit, with September emerging as an increasingly strong travel period.
Europe captured around US$2 trillion in leisure travel spending in 2025, equivalent to one-third of global leisure travel expenditure, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Global leisure travel spending reached US$6.15 trillion last year, accounting for 80.5% of total travel expenditure.
WTTC expects Europe’s leisure travel spending to continue growing in 2026, with the region forecast to expand 3.7%, ahead of the 3.1% global average. Southern Europe remains a major engine of that growth, with Italy forecast to lead among major markets at 4.7%, followed by Spain at 4.3%, Türkiye at 4.1% and France at 2.6%.
But while Europe continues to attract strong demand, new booking data from revenue management platform PriceLabs suggests the traditional July-August summer peak may be changing.
Heat may be changing the timing, not the appetite for Europe
Booked nights increased year on year across Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland throughout June to September, with every market recording double-digit growth.
Denmark recorded growth of 23.8% in June, 21.9% in July and 25% in August, with bookings for September already 35.1% ahead of the same period last year.
Finland showed the sharpest acceleration, with growth climbing from 14.8% in June to 46.8% for September. Norway recorded growth ranging from 13.2% in June to 22.7% in September, while Sweden maintained double-digit growth throughout the period.
The figures could suggest that some travellers are looking north for more comfortable summer conditions. But PriceLabs says the picture is more nuanced: demand has not simply moved from the Mediterranean to the Nordic countries. Instead, travellers may be increasingly adjusting when they travel.
“With one heatwave after another, many expected travellers to swap the Mediterranean for the North Sea this summer,” said Richie Khandelwal, Co-Founder of PriceLabs. “However, the data shows another strong summer for most of Europe, north and south.”
The acceleration in September is particularly notable.
September emerges as a new opportunity
Italy, one of Europe’s most established summer destinations, recorded 9.2% growth in June, 11.4% in July and 11.2% in August. Yet September bookings are currently up 28.9% year on year.
France followed a similar pattern, with growth ranging from 4.1% to 7% during June-August before accelerating to 15.2% in September.
Spain experienced a more difficult start to the summer. Booked nights fell 4.4% in June and 4.6% in July, although demand returned to growth in August at 0.7%.
For September, however, Spanish demand is currently 18% higher than at the same point last year.
Murcia has seen a particularly dramatic reversal, moving from a decline of more than 20% during parts of the summer to 20.9% growth for September. The Canary Islands also moved from a 12.4% decline to 9.6% growth in September.
PriceLabs notes that Spain’s early decline may also reflect a roughly 10% reduction in short-term rental supply following the country’s Registro Único regulation. The booking figures therefore should not be interpreted solely as a measure of underlying travel demand.
A longer European summer?
The convergence of the two findings points to an important question: is Europe’s summer season becoming less concentrated around July and August?
WTTC’s research shows that Europe remains highly competitive, with France, Spain, Italy and Türkiye continuing to attract strong international demand. Leisure spending in 2025 grew by 3.6% in France, 2.6% in Spain and 2.2% in Italy.
PriceLabs’ booking data, meanwhile, suggests that demand may increasingly be distributed across a broader period.
That could create opportunities for destinations and tourism businesses seeking to reduce pressure during the traditional peak while extending the commercial season.
For hotels, short-term rental operators, tour companies and destination marketing organisations, a stronger September could support a longer high or shoulder season, potentially helping businesses spread demand beyond the most concentrated summer weeks.
Travellers are adapting rather than abandoning Europe
WTTC describes Southern Europe as the engine of Europe’s tourism growth and expects the region to remain a powerhouse in 2026. Italy, Spain, Türkiye and France are all forecast to record leisure spending growth this year.
PriceLabs’ data suggests travellers may be becoming more flexible about when they visit Europe while maintaining their appetite for established destinations.
As Khandelwal put it, the data suggests travellers are increasingly “building trips around cooler weather, not just cooler destinations.”
If heatwaves become a more persistent feature of European summers, the opportunity for the travel industry may not be to redirect travellers away from traditional destinations altogether, but to spread demand across a longer calendar, promote alternative regions and rethink the definition of Europe’s peak season.
With Europe already accounting for around one-third of global leisure travel spending, even a modest change in when those travellers arrive could have significant implications for the region’s tourism businesses.
