The year 2024 is a milestone year for tourism in the European Union (EU), with the number of tourists in the EU to exceed 3 billion nights of stay in tourist accommodation establishments. This figure represents a increase of 2.2% compared to 2023, equivalent to 65.4 million additional nights. This growth was driven by a strong last quarter of the year.
Within this European panorama, Spain is the undisputed leader in the tourist accommodation sector.. With 500 million nights registered in 2024, Spain tops the list of EU countries in terms of overnight stays, accounting for the largest share of all EU countries. 16.7% of total (500 million / 3000 million) and contributing significantly to 61.6% of the total along with Italy (458 million), France (451 million) and Germany (441 million).
This increase in Spain is remarkable, as there were 15 million additional nights compared to 2023. This growth places Spain as one of the main drivers of the overall increase in the EU. It is important to note that this growth in the number of nights stayed was mainly driven by the international tourismwhich experienced a substantial increase of 67.2 million nights (+4.9%) in 2024. In contrast, domestic guest nights decreased slightly in the EU overall (-0.1%).
In the last quarter of 2024, Spain also showed a positive trend, contributing significantly to the more than 500 million nights spent in EU tourist accommodation in this period.
These Eurostat data reflect the strength of the Spanish tourism sector and its ability to attract both national and, especially, international tourists. The wide range of accommodation on offer in Spain, from hotels to short-stay rentals, contributes to this record number. The diversity of options could be interpreted as a form of "flexible accommodation" that meets the different needs of travellers.
In summary, 2024 was the best tourism year on record for the EU, with Spain leading in the number of overnight stays, showing a significant increase driven by international tourism.. These data underline Spain's importance as a key tourist destination in Europe.
Sources:
- Eurostat - News articles - 4 March 2025
- Eurostat - Statistics Explained - Data extracted in March 2025
- Dataset: tour_occ_nim
