European Union tourism overnight stays rise 1.7% in H1 2026

Tourism overnight stays in the European Union grew by 1.7% in the first half of 2026, reaching a total of 1.321 billion according to Eurostat data. This represents an increase from the 1.299 billion stays recorded during the same period in 2025.

Ireland saw the highest year-on-year growth among member states at 14.6%, followed by Malta with a 9.9% increase and Slovakia with 5.9%. Conversely, nine countries reported a decline, with the most significant drops occurring in Cyprus (-7.7%) and Romania (-6.7%).

Foreign visitors, including residents of other EU and non-EU countries, accounted for 48.9% of all recorded stays. The growth in international tourism (2.5%) outpaced the growth of domestic tourism (0.9%). The reliance on international markets varies by country; Malta recorded the highest proportion of non-resident stays at 95.2%, while Germany recorded the lowest at 18.5%.