Travel Is Going Digital. Is Opportunity Reaching Further?

Digital platforms have changed how travellers discover accommodation and how businesses reach customers.

According to Eurostat, guests spent 951.6 million nights in short-term rental accommodation in the European Union booked through Airbnb, Booking or Expedia in 2025. That was 11.4% more than in 2024.

The growth demonstrates the scale of platform-enabled travel. It does not, however, mean that the same proportion of all tourism bookings takes place online. The Eurostat measure covers guest nights in a defined short-stay accommodation segment, not the entire travel industry.

For businesses, digital access creates opportunities to reach customers beyond local markets. Yet being listed and being meaningfully discovered are different things.

A relevant traveller may be looking for a specialist experience, a professional journey, a cultural encounter or a service that matches a particular interest. Helping that traveller discover an appropriate provider requires more than simply displaying a large catalogue.

This is an important direction for the future of digital tourism: technology that supports discovery based on relevance, clear information and trustworthy connections.

Digital reach creates possibilities. Meaningful relevance helps turn them into value.