The European Union’s (EU) tourism sector saw a 7 percent annual increase to 452.6 million in the number of tourist overnight stays in Q1 2024. January saw a 3 percent annual increase, recording 133.9 million nights, February saw a 6 percent annual increase to 149.2 million nights, and March saw a 9 percent annual increase to 169.5 million nights, according the the latest Eurostat data.
Foreign visitors surge
Foreign visitors accounted for around 45 percent of all overnight stays in the EU during the first three months of 2024, with large differences among EU countries. Malta recorded the largest share of foreign overnight stays in the EU with 91 percent. Following closely came Cyprus with 87 percent, Luxembourg with 82 percent, and Austria with 78 percent. Meanwhile, foreign guests accounted for only one-fifth of overnight stays in Poland (19 percent), Romania (20 percent) and Germany (20 percent).
In Q1 of 2024, nights spent by foreign visitors saw an 11 percent annual increase while nights spent by domestic tourists saw a 4 percent annual increase. Notably, Cyprus saw the largest increase of 23 percent in overnight stays by foreign visitors. Following closely came Croatia with a 22 percent increase and Malta and Luxembourg both with a 21 percent increase. Meanwhile, Lithuania, Poland and Greece saw the smallest increases in the number of overnight stays by foreign visitors with a 3 percent increase in all three countries.
Read: Global travel and tourism sector to grow by about $15 trillion over next decade: WTTC
Global recovery supports EU tourism growth
As global tourism recovers back to its pre-pandemic levels, it continues to face several challenges including growing macroeconomic, geopolitical and environmental risks. In a recent report, the World Economic Forum attributed the recovery in global tourism to multiple factors, including the significant increase in global demand, greater availability of flights, better international openness, and rising interest and investment in natural and cultural attractions. The report also revealed that the top EU economies for enabling travel and tourism development included Spain, France, Germany, and Italy.
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