EES Queues Could Put 41 Million Trips to Europe at Risk: What Tourists Should Check

Lead. The new European biometric control system, EES, has already become one of the main risks of the summer season for travel to the Schengen Area. According to a fresh analysis by the World Travel & Tourism Council dated June 9, 2026, if border wait times regularly reach three to four hours, up to 41 million tourist arrivals to Europe and approximately $45.4 billion in visitor spending could be at risk. For travelers, this does not mean that Europe is closing, but it does mean something else: before the trip, it is necessary to plan passport control time more carefully, check the rules of the specific country, and avoid tight connections or transfers.

What Happened

The World Travel & Tourism Council published a new analysis regarding the impact of the Entry/Exit System, or EES, on European tourism. The study is based on a survey of over 2,500 travelers from the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia—four key long- and medium-haul markets for Europe. The main conclusion of the WTTC is quite practical: tourists generally support digital and biometric borders, but their willingness to travel to the Schengen Area drops sharply if the new system turns into unpredictable multi-hour queues.

In a scenario where waiting times at the entry to the Schengen Area regularly take three hours or more, approximately one-third of respondents stated they would be significantly less inclined to make such a trip or would choose another destination altogether. Among British tourists, 39% responded this way, 33% among travelers from the USA and Canada, and 27% among Australians. The WTTC applied these responses to 2026 arrival forecasts and obtained a risk assessment: up to 41 million arrivals and $45.4 billion in tourist spending could be threatened if delays become a permanent part of the travel experience.

It is important to understand that this is not about already canceled trips, but about a risk scenario. That is why this news is important for the tourism market now: the summer season is still ongoing, demand for Europe remains high, but booking decisions are increasingly dependent on how predictable airports, ports, railway terminals, and road checkpoints will be.

What is EES and Who Does it Affect

EES is an automated entry and exit registration system for citizens of non-EU countries traveling to 29 European countries for short-term stays. According to the European Commission, the system registers the traveler's name, travel document data, biometric data, including fingerprints and facial images, as well as the date and place of entry or exit. It also records entry refusals and helps detect overstays of the permitted period of stay.

Since April 10, 2026, EES has completely replaced traditional passport stamping at the external borders of countries using the system. For tourists, this means that during the first registration, the procedure may be longer than a standard passport check. This is especially noticeable where many flights from non-EU countries arrive within a single time window or where passport control infrastructure has not yet adapted to peak flows.

The system primarily concerns short trips: vacations, private visits, short business trips, and transit scenarios if the passenger actually crosses the external border of the Schengen Area. For Ukrainian travelers, the practical significance depends on citizenship, document, route, and residency status. If a passenger is entitled to short-term entry into the Schengen Area or holds a short-term visa, they should check in advance whether EES applies to them on a specific route.

Why Queues Can Affect the Entire Tourism Chain

The EES problem is not limited to the passport booth. If a delay occurs at the first point of entry, it can shift the entire subsequent schedule: connecting flights, trains, buses, hotel transfers, picking up a rental car, or checking in after a late arrival. That is why the greatest risk is faced not only by tourists flying for a vacation to one city, but also by those planning complex itineraries through several countries.

For air passengers, large hubs and popular entry points to the Schengen Area become particularly important. If the route passes through Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, or Stockholm, it is advisable to leave more time for passport control and check flight status before leaving for the airport. Planning pages for flights via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), Rome-Fiumicino (FCO), and Madrid-Barajas (MAD), as well as online boards for CDG, AMS, FCO, and MAD, are already available on the site.

The hotel and tour operator segments also face risks. If some tourists decide to postpone their trip or choose a closer destination without complex border crossings, this could affect hotel occupancy in cities of first entry, as well as bookings for excursions, transfers, and short city-break packages. This is why the WTTC speaks not only about passenger comfort but also about potential losses in visitor spending for European economies.

What Official Sources and the Market Say

The European Commission presents EES as part of border modernization: the system is intended to replace manual stamps, better detect overstays, strengthen security, and eventually make some procedures faster. In other words, the idea of a digital border is not a crisis. The key problem is the transition period, when equipment, personnel, passenger flows, and tourist awareness are not yet balanced.

Frontex specifically promotes the Travel to Europe app, which is intended to help with the pre-registration of some data. Through it, travelers with biometric passports can submit document data and facial images in advance, as well as fill out an entry conditions questionnaire if such a function is available for a specific country. However, an important limitation remains: pre-registration does not grant an automatic right to cross the border and does not cancel the check itself. Fingerprints may still be scanned at the border in the presence of a border guard for technical reasons.

Tourism associations point to another aspect: many people still poorly understand what exactly is changing. In the WTTC study, 55% of respondents stated they had heard little or nothing about EES, and 49% did not know what would be required of them upon entry or exit. This is an important signal for airlines, airports, tour operators, and government agencies: even a good technology can create a reputational blow if a passenger first learns about it while in the queue.

Additional context was provided by a statement from a Frontex representative, quoted by British media on June 9: the stabilization of EES may take one to two years, as individual countries are still adapting to the new reality. At the same time, rules allow for the temporary easing or suspension of some procedures during peak moments to avoid unmanageable queues, but such exceptions are not a long-term solution for the entire summer season.

What This Means for Travelers in Summer 2026

The main advice is to plan your trip as if passport control could take more time than before. This is especially relevant for the first entry into the Schengen Area after the launch of EES, for travel on peak dates, for families with children, for group tours, and for itineraries with short connections. If there is only an hour or an hour and a half between an international flight and a subsequent train or domestic flight, the risk of delay becomes significantly higher.

Before departure, it is advisable to check the official advice of the airline, the arrival airport, and the country of entry. If the country supports Travel to Europe or another pre-entry data mechanism, it should be used, but not viewed as a guarantee of instant border crossing. It is also useful to have your address of residence, return ticket confirmation, hotel booking, insurance, and a short explanation of the purpose of the trip at hand, as EES does not cancel standard border questions.

Those planning an overnight layover or an early flight after arrival should consider more flexible logistics in advance. For example, for complex itineraries through Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, or Barcelona, it may be more practical to book accommodation near the airport rather than in the city center. For this, you can check hotel pages near CDG Airport, AMS, FCO, or BCN, if the route passes through these hubs.

Separately, one should be cautious with ETIAS. ABTA reminds that this authorization system is expected to appear later, but there is no exact launch date yet, and tourists currently do not need to buy any ETIAS services on third-party websites. EES and ETIAS are different tools: EES already concerns the registration of border crossing, while ETIAS is intended to be a prior authorization for visa-free travelers in the future.

Why This is Important for European Tourism

Europe remains one of the strongest tourist regions in the world, but the 2026 season is taking place in a difficult environment. Demand is influenced by airfare costs, geopolitical uncertainty, changes in routes through the Middle East, inflation in the hotel sector, and increasingly late vacation bookings. Against this backdrop, border queues can become not just an inconvenience, but a factor in choosing between Europe and alternative destinations.

For the market, this means that the success of EES depends not only on the technology but also on managing expectations. If a tourist knows that the procedure may take more time, sees clear instructions, can partially prepare data in advance, and receives realistic information from the airline or tour operator, the risk of a negative experience is reduced. If, however, a traveler encounters new requirements without warning, even a correct system is perceived as a barrier.

Conclusion

The new WTTC analysis makes EES one of the most important topics for summer travel to Europe. The system does not cancel tourist trips and does not mean the closure of the Schengen Area, but it changes the actual time of crossing the border and can influence the choice of destination if queues become regular. The best strategy for tourists is to check the requirements of the specific country, allow extra time for the first entry, avoid overly short connections, and use official preparation tools where available. For Europe, the main challenge is to ensure that border modernization does not spoil the impression of the trip itself.