The European tourism industry is back on track after the Covid-19 pandemic. In almost all member states, the sector is experiencing a clear recovery, as evidenced by the recently published data from Eurostat regarding overnight stays in accommodation facilities in the European Union in the first half of 2023. According to the data collected, the first half of 2023 witnessed the highest number of overnight stays in the last decade, with every month surpassing the figures from 2022, with the highest increases recorded in January (+45%) and February (+27%).
From January to June: 1.193 million overnight stays
Overall in Europe, there were 1.193 million overnight stays in the first half of this year, translating to a +12.9% increase compared to the same period in 2022 and a +0.9% increase compared to 2019. Looking at the data of individual countries, all member states exceeded the results of 2022, with the exception of Hungary, which saw a slight decline (-0.3%). The best-performing countries were Cyprus (+39.3%), Malta (+30.5%), and Slovakia (+28.7%).
When comparing the 2023 data to 2019, it becomes clear that there is still ground to cover. Eurostat indicates that around half of the EU countries have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. In particular, Latvia (-23.8%), Slovakia (-16.0%), Hungary (-12.2%), and Lithuania (-11.7%) struggle to reach the 2019 figures. Italy also appears to be lagging behind – despite recording an increase in overnight stays compared to the previous year (+9.7%), it is still behind the 2019 results (-4.8%).
International tourism on the rise
The decisive boost to the recovery of the European tourism sector came from the return of international tourism, which had long been restricted due to pandemic-related travel restrictions. This positive trend began last year and continued to grow in 2023 with significant percentages. According to Eurostat, overnight stays by foreign tourists increased by 22.5% compared to 2022, while domestic tourism saw a 5.8% increase. In total, foreign tourists accounted for 545 million overnight stays in the first half of 2023, representing 46% of all overnight stays.
