LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – In the initial six months of 2026, the European Union recorded a total of 1.321 billion overnight stays at tourist accommodations. This represents a 1.7% increase from the 1.299 billion nights logged during the same period in 2025. Eurostat provided the figures, which encompass stays from January to June across all 27 member states. The data reflect nights spent by both domestic and international visitors at commercial tourist lodging facilities.
Ireland experienced the most significant growth among EU nations, with overnight stays climbing by 14.6% compared to the previous year. Malta followed with a 9.9% rise, while Slovakia saw an increase of 5.9%. Conversely, nine countries reported a decline in overnight stays during this period. Cyprus experienced the largest decrease at 7.7%, and Romania’s fell by 6.7%. These figures measure nights spent rather than visitor arrivals, tourism revenue, or travel expenditure.
International visitors accounted for 48.9% of all EU tourist accommodation nights during the first half of 2026. Malta’s foreign overnight stays made up the highest proportion at 95.2% of its total. Cyprus followed closely with 92.6%, and Luxembourg reported an 87.7% share. These figures include non-resident guests from other EU countries as well as destinations outside the bloc. Domestic visitors accounted for the remaining share of overnight stays across the EU.
Stronger growth observed in nights by international visitors
Nights spent by international travelers increased by 2.5% compared to the first half of 2025. Meanwhile, nights by domestic visitors grew by just 0.9% in the same timeframe. The growth rate of international overnight stays was nearly three times higher than that of domestic stays. Foreign guests now account for nearly half of all recorded tourism nights throughout the bloc. The data illustrate how both resident and non-resident travel separately contributed to the overall 1.7% rise in accommodation nights.
In several major domestic tourism markets, foreign visitors make up a smaller portion of accommodation demand. Germany recorded an international visitor share of 18.5% in the first six months of 2026. Poland reported 19.8%, with Romania at 23.0%. Each of these countries received less than one quarter of its recorded tourism nights from non-residents. These numbers highlight notable differences in the composition of accommodation demand across individual EU member states.
Accommodation includes hotels and short-term lodgings
Tourism accommodation data cover hotels, similar establishments, holiday rentals, and other short-stay options. They also account for camping sites, recreational vehicle parks, and trailer parks. Eurostat defines an overnight stay as each night a guest spends at a tourist accommodation. The first-half report excludes nights spent in non-rented accommodations. This standardized measurement framework enables national figures to contribute to an overall EU total for tourism accommodation.
Earlier data from the first quarter recorded 471.1 million tourism nights across the EU, a 3.4% increase from the same period in 2025. January accounted for 143.5 million nights, up 3.2%. February saw 154.4 million nights, an increase of 3.4%, and March reached 173.2 million, up 3.7%. The latest figures for the first half extend the reporting window through June, bringing the total EU tourist accommodation nights to 1.321 billion for the first six months of 2026.