Mallorca, one of the leading destinations in the 'Travel Report 2025'

"The European travel sector continues to show remarkable resilience"

The Mallorcan coast.

The Mallorcan coast | Photo: Steffen Wachsmuth

| Palma de Mallorca |

Mallorca and Madrid have been ranked among the ten most sought-after international destinations for travel this summer, placing fifth and ninth respectively, according to the Travel Report 2025 published by the Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI).

Tokyo (Japan) leads the list as the top choice for international travellers, followed by Paris (France), Nha Trang (Vietnam), and Shanghai (China). Following Mallorca in fifth place are Beijing (China), Seoul (South Korea), Reykjavik (Iceland), Madrid, and Malé (Maldives).

In a separate ranking focused on European travellers, the trend continues to favour Asia and beach destinations in Europe and Egypt. Tokyo once again tops the list, ahead of Mallorca and Hurghada (Egypt) in the top three.

Completing this ranking are Paris, Osaka (Japan), Beijing (China), London (UK), Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt), Larnaca (Cyprus), and Madrid.

“The European travel sector continues to show remarkable resilience. Even in the face of economic uncertainty, we’re seeing a clear shift among European travellers towards experiences that offer personal meaning and long-term value,” said Natalia Lechmanova, Chief Economist for Europe at the MEI.

The report also highlights that Europe dominates the list of destinations attracting international food lovers, based on spending in 2024. Istanbul claims the top spot, with restaurants welcoming tourists from an average of 67 different countries. Other leading European cities in culinary tourism include Cannes (France), Interlaken (Switzerland), Barcelona (Spain), and Dubrovnik (Croatia).

Barcelona also ranks as the Spanish city with the greatest diversity of nationalities per establishment, averaging 60. Like Cannes and Dubrovnik, the Catalan city is considered a benchmark for Mediterranean cuisine.

According to Mastercard’s latest report The Experience Economy 2025, travel, outdoor activities, and gastronomy top the spending priorities for Europeans in 2025—highlighting a shift towards more experiential and values-driven travel. In fact, two-thirds (70%) of Europeans say ticking off items from their bucket list is a top priority.

Adventure tourism is also booming in the Nordic region, with Finland standing out—its national parks account for 7.1% of total tourism spending. Between 2023 and 2024, international spending in the region rose by 1.1%. Other countries with high shares of tourism spending in national parks include Switzerland, Poland, France, and Norway.

Corporate flight bookings in the UK show that the average business trip now lasts longer than it did before the pandemic. For example, trips to Europe by US travellers have increased from 7.4 to 8.1 days, according to the MEI. This trend also applies to UK travellers, except for trips to Canada and the United States, which have shortened between 2020 and 2025.

Most Viewed