Portugal and Switzerland Keep Pace With Many Rivals as Asian Tourism in Europe Unlocks Fresh Visitor Demand

Written By: Ankita Neogi Khan

Ankita Neogi Khan

With over 15 years of experience in digital media, I bring a strong foundation in language, journalism, and storytelling to travel reporting. A graduate in English (Honours) from Presidency College with a Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Calcutta, I began my career as a content curator before transitioning into travel journalism. I specialise in aviation, tourism trends, destination news, and industry insights, combining meticulous research, accuracy, and compelling storytelling to deliver credible, engaging, and insightful content for a global audience.

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September 9, 2026 11:37 AM

Europe is breaking more records for tourism in another cycle, although what comes next for the continent may look unique. European tourism is recovering in many markets across Asia. Additionally, travellers are looking to check items off their bucket lists in more diverse ways by creating longer, richer and more unique itineraries.

By 2025, international stays grew by 3.4% from the year prior in the EU’s accommodation sector. Spain, Italy and France alone took up about 1.5 billion nights. Although some of the largest countries have traditional strongholds for travel in Europe, rapidly growing travel markets in countries like Portugal and Poland show greater potential.

Travellers from China and India in particular showed even greater growth in Portugal. Poland showed an impressive 8.5% increase for foreign travel. Greece recorded an impressive €23.6 billion for travel spending. The new race isn’t about drawing more travellers; it’s about attracting more international dollars in new travel markets.

Europe’s Tourism Engine Is Entering A New Chapter

The European tourism market finished 2025 on exceptionally firm footing. Eurostat recorded 3.088 billion accommodation nights across the European Union, an annual increase of 2.2%. International guests accounted for the stronger part of that expansion, with their overnight stays increasing 3.4%.

The established hierarchy remains formidable. Spain registered 513.6 million nights, Italy 476.9 million and France 471.7 million. Together with Germany, these four markets represented 61.7% of the EU total. That concentration explains why traditional destinations remain difficult to displace. However, it also creates room for smaller markets to post faster percentage gains from lower starting points.

The emerging story is therefore not about replacing Paris, Rome or Barcelona. Instead, it concerns where the next increments of long-haul demand will land. Asian travellers are increasingly important to that equation because they tend to support longer itineraries, premium experiences, shopping, gastronomy and multi-destination journeys.

The Giants Still Possess a Formidable Advantage

France enters the new phase from an extraordinary position. The country welcomed 102 million international visitors in 2025, compared with 100 million in 2024. International tourism receipts reached €77.5 billion, up 9%, reinforcing France’s ability to translate enormous visitor volumes into substantial economic value.

Spain also established a new record. The country welcomed 96.8 million international tourists in 2025, up 3.2% year on year and well above its 2019 total of 83.5 million. Tourist expenditure reached €134.7 billion, increasing 6.8% from 2024. These figures demonstrate the depth of Spain’s international appeal, even before considering its Asian growth prospects.

The scale advantage is particularly relevant for travellers planning their first European trip. Established gateways offer extensive air links, multilingual services, major hotel inventories and familiar multi-country circuits. Yet repeat travellers increasingly have reasons to look beyond the conventional itinerary.

Italy Has A Particularly Strong Asian Product Mix

Italy may have one of Europe’s broadest propositions for Asian travellers. Its cultural cities combine with fashion, gastronomy, luxury retail, wellness, coastlines and mountain tourism. That combination allows different Asian markets to purchase very different versions of the same destination.

ENIT reported approximately 10% growth in Asia-Pacific airport arrivals during the first five months of 2025. China supplied more than 94,700 arrivals, followed by South Korea with 71,288 and Japan with 42,365. Indian arrivals rose 10% to roughly 22,000. Thailand recorded an even sharper 24.6% increase.

Chinese demand provides another revealing signal. Chinese visitors generated about 2.4 million overnight stays in Italy during 2024, up 14.1%. Their expenditure reached €226.6 million, while around 70% of Chinese holidaymakers selected art cities. ENIT also forecast a 27% increase in Chinese airport arrivals for the second half of 2025.

That behaviour matters for destinations beyond Rome and Venice. Chinese demand already extends towards Bologna, Turin, Cortina, the Dolomites, Puglia and Sicily. Meanwhile, Japanese travel products increasingly combine culture, scenery, food and shopping. ENIT reported a 29.2% average increase in Japanese market bookings in its 2025 operator survey.

France and Spain Must Now Convert Scale Into Depth

France’s challenge is not attracting travellers. It is distributing demand more effectively. Paris remains the country’s overwhelming international magnet, but Asian repeat visitors can support destinations such as Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice, the Loire Valley and the French Alps.

The same principle applies to Spain. Its 2025 record demonstrates extraordinary demand, yet Asian visitors can contribute to a wider geographical spread. Madrid and Barcelona provide obvious gateways, while Andalusia, Valencia, the Basque Country, Galicia and the Balearic Islands offer opportunities for longer itineraries.

This shift could prove commercially important. Travellers flying thousands of miles to Europe increasingly want several experiences within one journey. That favours countries able to combine metropolitan culture with food, landscapes, shopping and regional excursions.

Switzerland Shows Why Volume Is Not Everything

Switzerland offers a useful counterpoint to the larger Mediterranean markets. Its appeal lies heavily in value per visitor rather than sheer visitor volume.

Swiss hotel establishments recorded approximately 4.5 million overnight stays from Asian countries in 2025, a modest 0.4% annual increase. China accounted for 793,000 nights, rising 9.3%, while India generated an increase of 1.8%. Yet Chinese overnight stays remained 43.1% below their 2019 level.

That gap creates an intriguing recovery opportunity. Switzerland combines scenic rail journeys, alpine resorts, luxury hospitality and highly recognisable landscapes. For Indian honeymooners and families, Japanese leisure travellers and affluent Chinese visitors, those attributes can command considerable spending without requiring mass-market volumes.

Portugal Is Quietly Building A Stronger Position

Portugal provides perhaps the clearest example of momentum outperforming scale. Chinese visitors reached approximately 339,800 guests in 2025, an 18.5% annual increase. They generated 593,400 overnight stays, up 15.7%, while Chinese tourism receipts rose 12.6% to €174.5 million.

India is also expanding from a smaller base. Portuguese tourism statistics recorded 107,800 Indian guests in 2025, up 8.7%. Indian overnight stays rose 10.8% to 247,100, while tourism receipts increased 12.7% to €64.7 million.

Portugal’s geography also suits multi-stop Asian itineraries. Lisbon can anchor a cultural visit, Porto adds gastronomy and architecture, while the Algarve and Madeira broaden the leisure proposition. This gives Portugal an opportunity to attract travellers who already know the classic Western European circuit.

Greece Is Turning Tourism Strength Into Higher Value

Greece is another market with strong momentum. The Bank of Greece recorded 43.3 million inbound travellers in 2025, up 6.4%. Travel receipts increased 9.4% to €23.63 billion, while average expenditure per overnight stay rose 7.7% to €96.60.

More importantly, Greece showed signs of extending tourism beyond its traditional peak. Attica remained the most visited region, while the Southern Aegean generated the largest share of receipts and overnight stays. International demand therefore has a growing opportunity to spread beyond the familiar Santorini and Mykonos narrative.

For Asian visitors, Athens can become the entry point rather than the endpoint. Ancient heritage, island-hopping, gastronomy, wellness and mainland destinations can support longer programmes. That makes Greece particularly relevant to travellers seeking a leisure-heavy European itinerary.

Poland Emerges As The Dark Horse

Poland may be the most unconventional contender in this comparison. Its tourism scale remains below Western European leaders, but its recent growth deserves attention.

Poland welcomed an estimated 21.4 million foreign tourists in 2025, up 8.5% year on year. Foreign visitors spent approximately 41.5 billion złoty, representing a 12.8% annual increase. Accommodation establishments hosted 15.2 million foreign tourists, up 13.1%.

Warsaw welcomed 8.7 million tourists, Kraków 5.2 million and Gdańsk 2.9 million. Poland also recorded a 7% annual increase in tourism nights, placing it second among EU countries for annual growth in that measure.

The opportunity for Asian markets is straightforward. Poland offers major historic cities, relatively competitive pricing and an increasingly sophisticated urban tourism product. It can also fit naturally into Central European itineraries involving Germany, Czechia, Austria and Hungary.

China and India Are Not the Same Market

Treating Asia as one outbound market would obscure the most important shift. Chinese and Indian travellers bring different commercial patterns, even when they visit the same European cities.

Chinese visitors show particularly strong interest in cultural circuits, shopping and organised itineraries. Italy’s 2024 data illustrates this clearly, with art cities attracting around 70% of Chinese holidaymakers and generating about 81% of their expenditure.

Indian demand has a different strategic profile. Family travel, luxury holidays, weddings, honeymoons, shopping and longer multi-generational itineraries create opportunities for premium hospitality. Portugal’s Indian figures demonstrate how a relatively small market can generate double-digit growth in both nights and receipts.

Japan and South Korea add another layer. Japan’s demand often favours culture, food, rail and carefully structured itineraries, while South Korea provides strong potential for urban breaks, shopping, food and visually distinctive experiences. Italy’s 2025 airport data illustrates the scale of this diversification.

The New European Tourism Scorecard

The following editorial scorecard assesses future positioning rather than simply ranking current arrivals. It weighs market momentum, infrastructure, product breadth, recovery potential and ability to capture higher-value visitors.

The table reveals the central finding. The biggest destinations are not automatically the biggest future winners. Portugal and Greece possess unusually attractive momentum, while Poland has a lower base and therefore greater room for percentage expansion.

Air Routes Could Decide The Next Winners

Connectivity will remain one of the decisive variables. A compelling tourism product cannot convert demand if travellers face expensive fares, awkward connections or limited capacity.

Portugal’s Chinese market demonstrates this relationship. Beijing Capital Airlines carried 64.1% of Chinese tourists recorded in Portuguese tourism data, followed by Emirates, TAP, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. That concentration shows how individual air links can influence market accessibility.

For travellers, this means the cheapest-looking destination is not always the cheapest complete journey. A direct or well-timed connection can reduce both travel friction and the cost of adding secondary cities.

Europe’s Border Rules Are Also Changing

Travellers from outside the EU should also account for Europe’s digital border transition. The Entry/Exit System became fully operational on 10 April 2026 across the Schengen area. It records passport information, facial images, fingerprints and entry and exit movements for covered short-stay non-EU travellers.

ETIAS is scheduled to begin during the final quarter of 2026. It will affect visa-exempt travellers rather than replacing Schengen visas for travellers who still require them. These changes matter for Asian travellers planning future European trips because border procedures are becoming increasingly digital.

The European Commission states that EES applies to non-EU nationals making short stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Travellers should therefore check the precise requirements for their nationality before departure.

What Travellers Should Watch Next

For travellers, the emerging landscape offers more choice rather than simply more crowds. First-time visitors can still build classic Paris–Rome–Barcelona circuits, but repeat visitors have a growing selection of alternatives. Portugal and Greece can offer coastal experiences with major cultural depth, while Poland provides a more cost-conscious Central European option.

Switzerland remains attractive for premium scenic travel, while Italy offers perhaps the broadest combination of heritage, cuisine, shopping, wellness and luxury. France and Spain, meanwhile, have the infrastructure to absorb enormous demand while expanding tourism beyond their most famous gateways.

The crucial change is that Asian travel demand is becoming more fragmented and experience-led. Countries that can match different traveller profiles with strong connectivity, varied regional products and efficient visitor services will be best placed to capture the next wave.

The Next Boom Will Be More Selective

Nowadays, Europe’s tourism industry goes beyond total visitor numbers. Tourism will progress based on travelers’ routes and duration, spending, and return travelling.

France and Spain are still far ahead of the competition. Meanwhile, Italy has European scale and an extraordinary selection of products focused on the Asian market. Swiss tourism can benefit the most from high-paying visitors, while both Greece and Portugal are rapidly increasing their tourism. Finally, Poland has the potential to create a solid tourism industry.

One fact is clear overall for travellers: the next tourism boom in Europe may not produce another dominant player. Instead, it may focus on countries previously overlooked. These new countries may provide better value and tourism opportunities beyond Europe’s own capitals.