Tourist accommodation across the European Union recorded 1.279 billion overnight stays in the first half of 2025, marking a 2.3 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, according to data released by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office. The growth was driven by both foreign and domestic travel, with foreign visitor nights rising 3.1 percent and domestic stays increasing by 1.7 percent. Malta posted the highest year-on-year growth among EU member states, with overnight stays increasing by 12.7 percent.
Latvia followed with an 8.6 percent rise, while Poland registered an 8.5 percent gain. In contrast, Ireland experienced a 3.5 percent decline, the only member state to record a drop. Minimal increases were observed in Germany at 0.2 percent, Sweden at 0.5 percent, and Belgium at 0.9 percent. Foreign visitors accounted for 48.0 percent of all overnight stays in the EU during the first six months of the year. The highest proportions of foreign guest nights were recorded in Malta at 93.6 percent, Cyprus at 93.1 percent, and Croatia at 87.6 percent. In contrast, foreign guests represented less than 20 percent of total overnight stays in Germany, Poland, and Romania.
The increase in foreign visitor nights was most notable in Malta, which recorded a 13.0 percent rise. Latvia and Finland followed with gains of 12.8 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively. On the other end of the spectrum, Ireland saw a 6.1 percent decrease, while Sweden declined by 5.3 percent and Germany by 2.9 percent. The second quarter of 2025 was particularly strong, contributing 826 million overnight stays, a 5.1 percent increase compared to the same quarter in 2024. The shift of Easter holidays to April this year, as opposed to March in 2024, contributed to higher travel volumes in the second quarter.
Foreign visitors account for nearly half of EU overnight stays
Hotel stays made up the largest share, with over 500 million nights recorded in hotels and similar establishments, representing a 3.6 percent year-on-year increase. Short-term rental accommodations booked through online platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor also recorded year-on-year growth. In the first quarter of 2025, 129.6 million guest nights were booked through these platforms across the EU, a 4.8 percent increase from the first quarter of 2024.
Malta led the segment with a 33.5 percent increase in platform-based stays, followed by Finland at 23.6 percent and Bulgaria at 22.3 percent. Several countries, including Croatia, the Netherlands, and Denmark, registered decreases in this category. Despite regional disparities, the overall upward trend in overnight stays suggests that the EU tourism sector continued to build on the recovery recorded in 2024. Both traditional accommodations and online platform bookings showed positive momentum in most member states during the first half of the year. The figures were published on the occasion of World Tourism Day, observed annually on September 27.
