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EU Tourism Industry Experiences Strong Recovery Post-Pandemic

The European Union’s tourism industry is making a significant comeback following the pandemic. Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, has reported that the number of nights spent in tourist accommodations in the first half of 2023 reached the highest level in the past decade, indicating a notable resurgence in the industry’s performance in many countries.

The data reveals that in the first half of this year, there were a total of 1,193 million nights spent in tourist accommodations, which represents an increase of nearly 11 million compared to the same period in 2019 (1,182 million, +0.9%). Moreover, this year recorded 136 million more overnight stays compared to the first half of 2022 (1,057 million, +12.9%). In comparison to 2021 (406.8 million), there were 786 million more overnight stays, and compared to 2020 (474.7 million), there were 718 million more overnight stays.

Notably, every month surpassed the previous year’s figures, with the highest increase occurring in January (45%) and February (27%). In terms of country data, all member states experienced an increase in overnight stays compared to 2022, except for Hungary, which saw a slight decrease of -0.3%.

Among the countries, Cyprus (39.3%), Malta (30.5%), and Slovakia (28.7%) stand out for recording the most substantial increases in overnight stays. However, it is worth mentioning that approximately half of the countries have yet to reach the figures recorded in the first half of 2019.

Some countries, such as Latvia (-23.8%), Slovakia (-16.0%), Hungary (-12.2%), and Lithuania (-11.7%), are still striving to reach the levels achieved in 2019.

One significant contributor to this year’s positive numbers is the recovery of international tourism. In comparison to 2022, the number of nights spent by foreign tourists increased by 22.5%, while domestic tourism saw a 5.8% increase.

Foreign tourists accounted for a total of 545 million nights in the first half of 2023, which is 46% of all overnight stays. The proportion of foreign tourists has been greatly affected by the pandemic in recent years. Starting at 47% in the first half of 2019, it dropped to 36% in the first half of 2020, and further decreased to 21% in 2021. However, there was a strong rebound in 2022, with foreign tourists accounting for 42% of all overnight stays.

These statistics demonstrate the impressive recovery of the EU tourism industry and provide encouraging signs for its future growth. As the sector continues to rebound, it is anticipated that more countries will surpass pre-pandemic figures, and international tourism will play a pivotal role in the industry’s revival.