More than nine in ten (92%) of the personal and business trips made by EU citizens in 2024 were intra-EU, i.e. to other EU countries, new data from Eurostat has found.
According to the data, in 2024, there were 1.19 billion personal and professional trips taken in the EU, a 4.4% increase on the previous year (1.14 billion). Of this total, some 850 million were domestic trips (71% of the overall total), while 250 million (21%) were foreign trips elsewhere within the European Union.
Domestic trips
The highest share of domestic personal and business trips were taken in Romania (90%) and Spain (88%), followed by France, Portugal and Greece, which each recorded 85%.
Luxembourg, where just 5% domestic personal and business trips were taken, was bottom of the list, followed by Belgium (23%) and Malta (35%).
Intra-EU trips
Notably, these three countries – Luxembourg, Belgium and Malta – also recorded the highest levels of intra-EU travel. Luxembourg residents made 78% of their trips to other EU destinations, followed by Belgium (62%) and Malta (48%).
The lowest shares of intra-EU travel were recorded in Romania (9%) and France (9%), followed by Spain (8%).
Although domestic travel accounted for most journeys, total expenditure was higher for foreign trips, with EU residents spending €257.2 billion on domestic travel and €360.7 billion on trips abroad within the bloc.
In terms of domestic travel, accommodation accounted for more than a third (33.9%) of overall spend, at €87.2 billion, while transport accounted for 21.3% of overall spend, (or €54.8 billion).
In terms of intra-EU travel, meanwhile, accommodation accounted for 35.4% (€127.7 billion), while transport made up 31.9% (€115.1 billion). Read more here.
