Very often we have heard about how tourism is “Italy’s oil” and how it can really be a wonderful opportunity for development. But there is an image that explains one of the paradoxes of this “industry” better than many slogans: it is a map published by Eurostat and shows how many people cannot afford even a week’s holiday a year away from home.
In 2025 they were 27.5% of Europeans aged 16 or over, more than one in four. But just go down towards the Mediterranean for the color of the map to become much darker: 46.6% in Greece, 35.7% in Italy, 33.1% in Portugal and 32.2% in Spain. All above the European Union average. Italy even has the fifth highest value of the Twenty-Seven. The contrast is evident because we are talking about some of the places where the rest of Europe goes on holiday.
| Village | He can’t afford a week’s vacation |
| Greece | 46.6% |
| Italy | 35.7% |
| Portugal | 33.1% |
| Spain | 32.2% |
| EU average | 27.5% |
Countries where tourists arrive but residents struggle to leave
Spain was the European Union’s top destination for international tourism in 2024, with 322 million overnight stays by foreign visitors. Italy came second with 254 million, Greece fourth with 128 million. Spain, Italy and France, alone, concentrated almost half of the nights spent by foreigners in accommodation facilities across the entire Union.
And tourism brings in a huge amount of money. In 2024, income from international travelers reached 98 billion euros in Spain and 54 billion in Italy. In Portugal they are worth 9.6% of the GDP, in Greece 9.1%. In Croatia even 17.5%. Yet a significant portion of the inhabitants of these same countries cannot afford a week away from home.
The comparison with Northern Europe is evident. The share of those who cannot afford seven days of holiday drops to 10.6% in Luxembourg, 12.4% in Sweden and 12.8% in the Netherlands. And it is precisely the citizens of some of these countries who travel the most: in 2024 an inhabitant of Luxembourg spent on average 38 nights abroad, a Swede 18. In Italy, Greece and Portugal the average was less than three.
The problem becomes more concrete by placing data on tourist spending alongside data on poverty. An Italian spends on average around 86 euros a day when travelling, according to the latest comparable data from Eurostat: this means that a week is worth, in terms of order of magnitude, around 600 euros per person, over 1,200 for a couple and around 2,400 for a family of four. At a European level, limiting yourself to strictly holiday and leisure trips, the expense rises to 112 euros per night. It is therefore not surprising that for a significant part of families, seven days away from home represents an expense that is simply incompatible with their budget.
Who gets rich from tourism
Increasing the number of tourists does not automatically mean increasing the well-being of those who live in the territories that host them to the same extent. In European tourism, temporary contracts represented 20.8% of employment in 2023, compared to 12% in the non-financial private economy. Part-time workers were 21.3%, compared to 15.2%. Nearly one in four employees had been in the same position for less than a year.
Then there is the problem of salaries. In the accommodation and catering sector, the average annual cost per employee, which includes salaries and social contributions, was equal to 20,630 euros, compared to an average of 41,340 euros in the European business economy. A huge difference that cannot be ignored when discussing tourism’s ability to distribute wealth. The sector creates jobs and added value. The problem is what work and how that value is distributed.
Then there are the houses. Short-term rentals in the most touristy locations and in some neighborhoods of large cities represent 20% of homes. And obviously, in the areas most affected, the commercial fabric also changes: the services intended for visitors increase compared to those designed for those who live there all year round. At the same time, the spread of properties intended for tourist rental makes it more complicated to find an accessible home not only for residents, but also for seasonal tourism workers themselves.
The paradox can thus become very concrete: a city gains visitors and turnover, while some of its inhabitants see the cost of living rise faster than their income.
The real record is not the arrivals
For decades we have measured tourism success by counting arrivals, attendance, full airports, occupied rooms and billions left by foreigners. These are important data, but they only tell half the story.
If a location goes from ten to fifteen million visitors it has certainly become more competitive as a destination. We don’t yet know, however, whether it has become a better place to live. To find out, you need other numbers: how much workers earn; how much rent and mortgage affect income; how many homes remain available to residents; how stable the employment is; how much income generated by tourism remains in the area.
And maybe even a very simple indicator: how many people can afford at least a week’s holiday. Because a country capable of hosting hundreds of millions of overnight stays but in which more than one citizen in three is unable to pay for seven days away from home can boast great tourist success. It is much more difficult to argue that that same success was automatically transformed into widespread well-being.