This paper explores the role of tourism in enhancing the economic resilience of European Union (EU) member states during and after crisis periods, focusing on the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the specificities of the tourism sector and its sensitivity to external shocks, the research focuses on analyzing the contribution of tourism to the recovery of EU economies and identifies key factors influencing economic growth during crisis situations. The period covered by the analysis extends from 2007 to 2019, during which the impacts of tourism on GDP per capita in EU member states were analyzed. The research employs dynamic panel analysis and fixed and random effects models to examine whether there are significant differences in tourism's contribution to economic resilience between older and newer EU member states. The empirical part of the paper focuses on testing two hypotheses. The first hypothesis (H1) examines the relationship between the growth of tourist arrivals per capita and GDP growth per capita in EU member states. The results of the analysis confirm the existence of a positive and statistically significant relationship between these variables (r = 0.288; P<0.001). This finding suggests that tourism can play a key role in economic recovery after crisis periods by generating income, creating jobs, and encouraging investments in local communities. Tourism is therefore identified as an important factor in economic resilience, especially for countries that rely heavily on tourism as an economic activity. The second hypothesis (H2) investigates the existence of differences in tourism's contribution to economic resilience based on the time of a country’s accession to the European Union. Although there were some variations in the recovery dynamics between the "old" and "new" EU members, the statistical analysis shows no significant difference that could be attributed to the time of EU accession (Z test, P = 0.978). Therefore, this hypothesis is rejected, suggesting that the contribution of tourism to resilience and economic recovery is not conditioned by the year of joining the EU. The conclusions of this research have significant implications for the formulation of policies and strategies for crisis management in the tourism sector. By confirming the importance of tourism in stimulating economic recovery, the results indicate the need to strengthen the resilience of tourism through diversification, sustainable development, and innovation. It is recommended that the EU and its member states establish coordinated measures and strategies to improve the adaptability of the tourism sector to future crises and maximize its contribution to economic recovery and resilience.