EU Tourism in Q1 2025: International Growth Amid Overall Decline in Activity

In the first quarter of 2025, the number of tourist nights spent in the European Union slightly decreased, mainly due to calendar shifts. Easter and part of school holidays fell in April, unlike in 2024, when they partially occurred in March. At the same time, international tourism increased, while domestic tourism saw a decline, according to Eurostat.

Overall Figures

Between January and March 2025, tourist accommodation establishments in the EU recorded 452.4 million nights, down 0.2% compared to the same period in 2024. January saw 139 million nights (+3.5%), February 147.7 million (–0.8%), and March 167.7 million (–2.7%).

Tourist nights increased in 11 countries and fell in 16. The biggest absolute growth was observed in Spain (+3.5M nights), Poland (+1.7M), Italy (+1.1M), and Lithuania (+0.2M). The sharpest declines were in Germany (–3.5M), Austria (–1.4M), and Ireland (–1.2M).

In percentage terms, the highest growth was in Malta (+17.5%), Latvia (+10.8%), Lithuania (+9.9%), and Poland (+9.6%). Notable decreases occurred in Ireland (–18.6%), Austria (–4.9%), Germany (–4.7%), and Sweden (–3.0%).

On average, around 8.2 million guests stayed in EU accommodation establishments each day, nearly matching the record level of 2024.

International vs Domestic Tourism

In Q1 2025, international tourism increased by 2.2 million nights (+1.1%), while domestic tourism decreased by 3.4 million nights (–1.3%).

More than half of international overnight stays occurred in Spain (53.2M), Italy (31.8M), and Austria (29.6M). The highest growth rates were in Latvia (+18.5%), Malta (+17.2%), and Finland (+10.6%). Sixteen out of 27 EU countries saw an increase in international tourism.

Domestic tourism still contributed the majority of nights (246.1M). German residents alone spent 57.4M nights domestically (–5.2% year-on-year), followed by France with 46.8M.

Types of Accommodation

Hotel stays dropped by 1.1 million nights (–0.3%) but remained the most popular type of accommodation, accounting for 72.2% of all nights. Short-term rentals, such as apartments and holiday homes, totaled 112.8 million nights, a drop of 0.5 million (–0.4%).

Camping accounted for less than 3% of total nights, and year-on-year comparisons are skewed due to methodology changes in France.

2024 Records and Sector Outlook

2024 was a record-breaking year for EU tourism, with over 3 billion nights (+2.2% vs. 2023), and 8.2 million daily guests. The highest overnight figures were in Spain (500M), Italy (458M), France (451M), and Germany (441M), accounting for over 61% of total tourism in the EU.

Summer months still dominated, but interest in off-season travel is rising. According to Eurostat, tourism remains one of the EU’s core sectors, contributing around 4.5% of gross value added. The focus for 2025 includes sustainable travel, digital booking systems, and diversified short-term rental offerings.