LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – Tourist accommodation in the European Union reached a total of 1.321 billion overnight stays during the first half of 2026. This represents a 1.7% increase from 1.299 billion nights recorded in the same period of 2025. Eurostat provided the six-month figures covering hotels, short-stay lodgings, campsites, and similar commercial accommodations. The data account for travel by both domestic and international visitors across all 27 EU member states. It is important to note that these figures measure nights spent in accommodation rather than tourist arrivals or expenditure on travel.
Ireland led the EU member states in tourism accommodation growth during the first half of 2026, with overnight stays increasing by 14.6% compared to the same period in 2025. Malta followed with a 9.9% rise, and Slovakia experienced a 5.9% growth. Conversely, nine countries reported declines, with Cyprus showing the largest decrease at 7.7% and Romania decreasing by 6.7%. These variations highlight significant differences in tourism activity across individual EU markets.
Foreign visitors made up 48.9% of all EU tourist accommodation nights during the first half of 2026. Malta registered the highest proportion of international guests at 95.2% of its total overnight stays, followed by Cyprus at 92.6%, and Luxembourg at 87.7%. These figures include travelers arriving from other EU countries and from markets outside the bloc. The remaining demand was supplied by domestic travelers, whose importance varies greatly from one country to another.
Growth Driven Mainly by International Tourism
Overnight stays by international visitors increased by 2.5% compared to the first half of 2025, whereas domestic tourism nights saw a 0.9% rise during the same period. This indicates that international accommodation growth outpaced domestic stays across the EU. Nearly half of all recorded tourist nights were generated by foreign travelers, providing a clearer picture of tourism demand based on the resident versus non-resident split during this six-month period.
Major tourism markets showed a higher dependence on domestic visitors. Germany’s international share accounted for 18.5% of all accommodation nights, Poland reported 19.8%, and Romania’s share was 23.0%. In each case, foreign guests made up less than a quarter of total overnight stays. In stark contrast, Malta, Cyprus, and Luxembourg saw international visitors constitute the majority of nights. These differences underline the diverse structure of tourism demand within the EU.
Hotels and Campsites Constitute Mainstay of Tourism Data
The figures include accommodation types such as hotels and similar establishments, holiday rentals, and other short-term lodgings. They also encompass camping sites, recreational vehicle parks, and trailer parks. An overnight stay is counted each night a guest spends at a registered tourist accommodation facility. Nights spent in non-rented accommodations are excluded. This approach provides national tourism authorities with a standardized framework for reporting commercial lodging activity, enabling EU-wide comparisons.
Earlier data from the first quarter indicated 471.1 million tourism nights across the European Union, representing a 3.4% increase from the same quarter in 2025. January accounted for 143.5 million nights, February for 154.4 million, and March for 173.2 million, with each month showing year-on-year growth. The latest Eurostat report extends the data to include June, bringing the total for the first half of 2026 to 1.321 billion nights.