International tourism grew just 0.4% in the first half of 2026, with Europe seeing a 3% uptick in arrivals, according to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism.

The continent was among the strongest performers, with only Africa seeing a larger growth of 4%.

Some 350 million international tourists visited Europe between January and June this year – but that growth wasn’t uniform.

Both Southern Mediterranean Europe and Central Eastern Europe saw a 4% growth, with Northern Europe up 3%.

On the flip side, arrivals in Western Europe declined 1%, with UN Tourism noting this was “partly due to heatwaves in June and weaker long-haul demand…

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