Tourism Statistics: Nights at Accommodation Explained

Highlights

This article provides a detailed analysis of the recent trends in nights spent in tourist accommodations across the European Union (EU), comparing the latest data with the previous year’s figures.

While the focus here is primarily on Q3 2025, it also incorporates preliminary estimates for the entire year.

1.3 Billion Tourism Nights Spent in Q3 2025

During Q3 2025, a total of 1.27 billion nights were recorded in EU tourist accommodations—an increase of 21.3 million nights, or 1.7%, compared to Q3 2024. This growth, while positive, reflects a slight deceleration from the first half of the year, which saw a 2.3% rise.

Out of the 27 EU member states, 21 reported an upward trend in nights spent, with six countries experiencing declines compared to Q3 2024. The most significant increases were observed in Luxembourg (+6.4%), Malta (+5.9%), and Poland (+5.9%). Notably, in absolute terms, France contributed the most to the overall increase with an addition of 6 million nights, followed by Italy and Spain at 5.2 million and 3.2 million, respectively.

August stood out as the peak month during the summer quarter, recording 501.2 million nights, with July closely trailing at 460.3 million. August led as the most popular month for overnight stays in 20 of the 27 EU countries while July retained its top spot in the remaining seven, including Belgium and the Nordic region.

International Tourism: A Key Driver of Growth in Q3 2025

A closer look at the data reveals that international tourism played a considerable role in boosting overall nights spent during Q3 2025, contributing an additional 18.7 million nights, or 3.1%. In comparison, domestic tourism added only 2.6 million nights, marking a modest growth of 0.4%. This equates to an average of roughly 13.81 million guests per night across EU accommodations, split between 6.94 million domestic and 6.87 million international visitors.

Certain EU countries saw remarkable increases in international tourism, including Finland with a notable 12.6%, Slovakia at 8.4%, and Luxembourg at 8.1%. Spain remained a standout destination, accounting for a substantial share of international nights spent in Q3 2025, with 312.2 million nights spread over Spain (119.9 million), Italy (115.8 million), and Greece (76.6 million). Most EU nations reported growth in international tourism, with only two exceptions.

Despite these gains, domestic tourism remained the predominant contributor, accounting for 638.4 million nights of the total 1.27 billion nights across the EU in Q3 2025. France led the charge with 143 million nights spent by its residents, followed by Germany and Italy, which recorded 121.9 million and 101.0 million nights, respectively. However, it’s worth noting that 15 out of 27 EU countries experienced a decline in domestic tourism nights compared to the same period in 2024, though strong domestic market performances in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland kept growth steady at 0.4% overall.

In Q3 2025, 1 in 5 Nights Was Spent at a Campsite

Among the various accommodation options, hotels and similar establishments dominated the sector with 691.5 million nights, reflecting a 1.6% increase from Q3 2024. This segment represents 54.4% of all nights spent at tourist accommodations. Meanwhile, holiday and other short-stay accommodations also saw a healthy growth of 3.8%, amassing 319.1 million nights—equating to 25.1% of the total sector. Campsites, however, experienced a slight decline of 0.5%, accounting for 259.6 million nights, which represents 20.4% of the sector.

Interestingly, campsites emerged as the leading option in terms of overnight stays during Q3 2025 in countries like France, Luxembourg, and Denmark, where they made up more than 40% of all accommodations used.

EU Tourism Nights Increased by 2.1% in the First 10 Months of 2025

During the first ten months of 2025, European tourist accommodations welcomed 2.8 billion nights, marking an increase of 57.5 million nights, or 2.1%, compared to the same timeframe in 2024. This growth is largely attributed to a surge in international visitors. From January to October, foreign tourists contributed 1.4 billion nights—an increase of 3.2% from the previous year, while domestic visitors provided a modest increase of 1.1% (15.6 million nights).

Among EU countries, 25 experienced gains in nights spent during this period, while Romania and Ireland reported slight declines of -1.1% and -3.0%, respectively.

First Estimates for Tourism in 2025: A Record Number of Nights Spent in the EU

Preliminary estimates for the entire year suggest that a record-setting 3.08 billion nights were spent in EU tourist accommodations—a 2.0% increase compared to 2024, translating to 61.5 million additional nights. This surge was largely driven by international visitors, whose numbers rose by 46.1 million nights to reach 1.5 billion, while domestic tourism saw an increase of 15.4 million nights, totaling 1.6 billion.

The tourism levels in 2025 not only exceeded pre-pandemic figures from 2019 by 7.2% but also demonstrated significant growth in both domestic (up 4.7%) and international segments (up 10.1%). Yet, challenges remain, with five EU countries still lagging behind in recovery from the pandemic, including Hungary and Romania, which are only slightly below 2019 levels. In contrast, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovakia face more significant gaps yet to be bridged.

Over the long term, tourism levels have risen dramatically since 2010, up 43% from 2.16 billion nights to 3.08 billion in 2025. International tourism outstripped domestic growth significantly, with increases of 63% compared to a more modest 28% for domestic tourism.

In 2025, almost all EU countries experienced increased tourism nights compared to 2024, with the sharpest rises in Malta (+9.9%), Poland (+7.0%), and Latvia (+6.2%). Conversely, slight downturns were recorded in Ireland (-1.8%) and Romania (-1.4%).

Notably, France led with an absolute increase of 13.7 million nights, followed by Italy (+9.8 million) and Spain (+8.1 million). Ultimately, international tourists made up 48.6% of the total 3.08 billion nights. Spain emerged as a favored destination, attracting 330 million nights from foreign guests, equating to a staggering 64.2% of all nights spent within Spain in 2025. Italy and France also drew significant numbers, with 264 million and 150 million nights, respectively. Greece, while dependent on tourism, saw 83.8% of its nights contributed by foreign guests, alongside Malta (94.1%), Cyprus (92.7%), Croatia (90.3%), and Luxembourg (88.1%). In contrast, Poland, Germany, and Romania received the majority of their tourists from within their own borders.

Hotels remained the predominant accommodation choice with 1.9 billion nights spent, accounting for 63% of the total. This was followed by holiday and short-stay accommodations, which accounted for 24%, and campsites at 13%. It’s important to note that many nations limit data collection to facilities with at least ten bed spaces, which might underrepresent the holiday and short-stay accommodation sectors. For additional insights, Eurostat offers experimental statistics on short-term rentals from various online platforms.

For a comprehensive overview of tourism nights, data is readily available within the interactive European Statistical Monitor, where monthly and quarterly indicators are updated regularly.

Source Data for Tables and Graphs

Data Sources

This article highlights short-term trends in nights spent at tourist accommodations in the EU, drawing from monthly data supplied by member countries.

For a more nuanced understanding of year-over-year changes in nights spent, including an in-depth analysis of 2024 data, I recommend exploring the annual results for the accommodation sector. Additionally, Eurostat provides insights into platform tourism by reusing data from three prominent international platforms in its monthly reports.

Context

The EU stands as a premier tourist hub, boasting six countries among the world’s top ten holiday destinations, according to UN Tourism data. Tourism is a vital economic engine for the EU, driving job creation and fostering growth, particularly in rural and less developed regions. Overall, tourism contributes approximately 4.5% to the EU’s Gross Value Added. Given this significance, there is an increasing demand for reliable, harmonized statistics on tourism activities, particularly within the wider frameworks of regional and sustainable development policies.

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