LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – Data from European Union show that tourist accommodation in the bloc reached 1.321 billion overnight stays during the first half of 2026. This represents a 1.7% increase compared to the 1.299 billion nights recorded in the same months of 2025. According to Eurostat, the figures encompass the nights spent by both domestic and international visitors in commercial tourism lodging facilities across the 27 member states between January and June.
Ireland experienced the most significant growth within the EU, with overnight stays climbing 14.6% from the previous year. Malta came next with a 9.9% rise, and Slovakia recorded a 5.9% increase. Conversely, nine nations saw a decline in overnight stays over this six-month span. Cyprus experienced the steepest drop at 7.7%, with Romania following at 6.7%. These statistics are based on nights spent rather than visitor numbers, tourism revenue, or travel expenditure.
International visitors accounted for 48.9% of all EU tourist accommodation nights during the first half of 2026. Malta boasted the highest proportion of foreign overnight stays, at 95.2% of its total. Cyprus followed closely with 92.6%, and Luxembourg recorded an 87.7% share. These figures include non-resident visitors from other EU countries as well as those from destinations outside the bloc. The remaining portion of overnight stays was contributed by domestic tourists across the EU.
International visitor nights outpace domestic growth
Overnight stays by international travelers increased by 2.5% compared to the first six months of 2025. Meanwhile, domestic visitor nights grew by 0.9% during the same period. The growth rate of international overnight stays was nearly three times higher than that of domestic stays. Foreign visitors made up almost half of all tourism nights recorded in the EU. These figures illustrate how travel by residents and non-residents separately contributed to the overall 1.7% rise in accommodation nights.
In several major national markets for tourism, foreign visitors represented a smaller share of demand. Germany’s international guest share was 18.5% in the first half of 2026. Poland’s share was 19.8%, while Romania’s stood at 23.0%. Each of these countries generated less than a quarter of their tourism nights from non-resident visitors. The data highlight notable variations in the composition of accommodation demand among individual EU member states.
Hotels, holiday rentals, and short-stay accommodations included
The statistics cover a range of lodging types, including hotels, similar establishments, holiday homes, and other short-term accommodations. They also include camping sites, recreational vehicle parks, and trailer parks. Eurostat defines an overnight stay as each night a guest spends in a tourist accommodation. This release for the first half of the year does not account for nights in non-rented lodgings. This standardized measurement approach ensures that national data can be combined to present a comprehensive view of tourism accommodation across the EU.
Earlier data from the first quarter indicated 471.1 million tourism nights within the EU, a 3.4% rise from the same period in 2025. January contributed 143.5 million nights (up 3.2%), February added 154.4 million (up 3.4%), and March reached 173.2 million nights (up 3.7%). The current figures extend the reporting period through June, bringing the total EU tourist accommodation nights for the first half of 2026 to 1.321 billion.