In 2023, the number of tourist accommodation nights in the EU reached 2.9 billion. This represents a 6.1% increase compared to 2022 and a 1.4% increase compared to the pre-2019 pandemic levels.
This information comes from monthly data on tourist accommodations up to December 2023, published today by Eurostat. This article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed article on Statistics Explained.
In 2023, 24 out of the 25 EU countries with available data exceeded the 2022 levels in terms of overnight stays. The most significant increases were recorded in Malta and Cyprus, both experiencing a 20% increase in nights spent compared to 2022, followed by Slovakia with a 16% increase. A slight decrease in the number of nights was recorded in Luxembourg (-1%).
Slovakia and the Czech Republic recorded the highest growth in terms of nights spent by international guests, both countries experiencing a 29% increase in 2023 compared to 2022. The Netherlands and Romania followed, each with a 23% increase. At the other end of the spectrum, Luxembourg saw a stable number of nights spent by international guests (0%), while Croatia recorded modest growth of 2%.
In terms of domestic guests, Greece recorded the highest increase in the number of nights spent, with a 13% increase in 2023 compared to 2022, followed by Slovakia (+11%) and Bulgaria (+9%). The largest declines in nights spent by domestic guests were observed in Slovenia (-17%), Hungary (-5%), and Luxembourg (-4%).
Surpassing pre-pandemic levels in 2023
Analyzing a broader time frame, the data reveals a rebound in tourism nights from the spring of 2022 onwards. In May 2022, the number of nights in tourist accommodations approached pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, only March (-4%), June (-2%), July (-1%), and November (-1%) experienced a decline in numbers compared to 2019. Despite these fluctuations, the overall trend for 2023 indicated an increase in the total number of nights spent, reaching a record number of nights and close to 3 billion annual nights.
Data extracted from Eurostat (European Union Statistical Office).
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20240308-1?etrans=es