Two people working at a reception desk of a hotel.

In 2021, there were 1.9 million enterprises in the EU’s accommodation and food service sector, representing 6.1% of all enterprises active in the business economy. The accommodation and food service sector includes enterprises falling under section I of the statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE). 

The EU’s accommodation and food service sector employed 9.9 million people, generated €203.6 billion in value added and accumulated a net turnover of €446.0 billion in 2021. The sector thus contributed to 6.3% of the persons employed in the business economy in 2021 and accounted for 2.2% of its value added.

Value added and employment in accommodation and food services, % share in business economy total. Chart. See link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: sbs_ovw_act

The accommodation and food service activities provided varying contributions to the value added of the business economy across EU countries in 2021. The highest contribution was registered in Greece (6.5% of value added in the business economy), followed by Cyprus (6.0%) and Croatia (5.4%). The lowest shares were registered in Slovakia (0.8%), Czechia (1%) and Poland and the Netherlands (both 1.2%).

In terms of employment, the sector's contribution to the business economy was higher. It ranged from 19.6% in Greece, 13.5% in Cyprus and 9.5% in Spain to 2.8% in Poland, 3.3% in Slovakia and 3.9% in Finland.