Tourism across the European Union continued its upward trajectory in early 2026, with hotel and other tourist accommodation recording 471.1 million overnight stays in the first

quarter, according to monthly data released by Eurostat. This represents a 3.4% increase compared with the same period in 2025.

Growth was steady across all three months of the quarter. January saw 143.5 million overnight stays (+3.2% year-on-year), followed by 154.4 million in February (+3.4%) and 173.2 million in March (+3.7%), indicating a gradual strengthening of demand as the quarter progressed.

Sharp contrasts across Member States

Performance varied widely across the bloc. The strongest growth in overnight stays was recorded in Ireland, where tourism nights surged by 35.3% compared with the first quarter of 2025. It was followed by Malta (+11.1%) and Denmark (+9.3%), which also posted solid gains.

At the other end of the scale, several Member States recorded declines. The steepest drop was seen in Lithuania (-12.9%), followed by Romania (-6.7%) and Luxembourg (-3.8%).

Foreign visitors drive nearly half of all stays

International tourism remained a key driver of the sector. Foreign visitors accounted for around 46.6% of all overnight stays in the first three months of 2026, though the share varied significantly between countries.

The highest reliance on international tourism was recorded in Malta (93.3%), followed by Cyprus (85.6%) and Luxembourg (85.1%).

By contrast, domestic tourism dominated in several larger Member States. Foreign guests represented only about a fifth of overnight stays in Germany (19.9%), Poland (20.2%) and Romania (22.4%).

Foreign tourism outpaces domestic growth

Compared with the first quarter of 2025, overnight stays by foreign visitors rose by 5.5%, while domestic tourism grew more modestly at 1.7%.

The strongest increases in international overnight stays were recorded in Ireland (+42.3%), Lithuania (+24.1%) and Slovakia (+15.4%).

However, some countries experienced declines in foreign visitor nights, including Latvia (-7.5%), Bulgaria (-4.3%) and Belgium (-4.0%).

Overall, the data point to a broadly positive start to the year for EU tourism, with steady growth in both domestic and international travel, albeit with pronounced differences between Member States. Photo by Wikimedia commons.