The overnight stays recorded in tourist accommodations in the European Union totaled 1.321 million in the first half of 2026, which implies an advance of 1.7% compared to the 1.299 million recorded in the same period of 2025, according to Eurostat data.
By member states, Ireland (+14.6%), Malta (+9.9%), and Slovakia (+5.9%) were the countries with the highest increases in overnight stays in the first six months of the year compared to the first half of 2025. On the opposite side, nine countries reduced their nights of accommodation, highlighting the declines in Cyprus (-7.7%) and Romania (-6.7%).
Visitors from abroad, that is, those who do not reside in the country they are traveling to, accounted for 48.9% of the total overnight stays in the EU during the first half of the year. However, the weight of this type of traveler varied significantly among the different member states.
Malta was the country with the highest share of overnight stays by non-residents, with 95.2%, followed by Cyprus (92.6%) and Luxembourg (87.7%). In contrast, overnight stays by foreign visitors did not reach a quarter of the total in Germany (18.5%), Poland (19.8%), and Romania (23%).
The rebound in hotel nights and other accommodations made by foreign travelers outpaced that of domestic tourists. Specifically, stays by non-residents grew by 2.5% year-on-year in the first half, compared to the 0.9% recorded by overnight stays of residents, so the dynamism of international tourism nearly tripled that of domestic tourism.