The EU tourism industry is recovering from the corona pandemic: In the first half of this year, the number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation in the EU reached its highest level in the past ten years, the statistics office Eurostat said. 1.193 billion overnight stays were recorded in accommodation establishments such as hotels, holiday homes or campsites in the first half of this year.
This is an increase of 12.9 percent compared to the same period last year. Compared to the same period in 2019, i.e. before the corona pandemic, that is an increase of 0.9 percent. In addition, every month of the first half of 2023 exceeded the figures for the same month of the previous year – especially January (plus 45 percent) and February (plus 27 percent), according to Eurostat.
Fewer overnight stays in Germany
In Germany, however, the numbers look different: This year, according to the Federal Statistical Office, the pre-Corona crisis level was not reached in the months of January, February, March, April and June compared to 2019. Only in May did more tourists stay overnight in Germany than in the same month of 2019.
With a view to 2023, there has been an increase in overnight stays in all EU states except Hungary compared to 2022, as Eurostat also announced. The EU member states Cyprus (plus 39.3 percent), Malta (plus 30.5 percent) and Slovakia (plus 28.7 percent) in particular saw the strongest annual increase in overnight stays in tourist accommodation.
