Hotels dominate accommodation market across the EU in 2025

Cyprus witnessed a significant surge in tourism activity as the European Union reached a historic 3.08 billion nights spent at accommodation establishments in 2025.

According to a Eurostat report released on Friday, the island’s tourism sector has experienced substantial growth, outperforming several regional averages.

In a comparison of annual data, the total nights spent at tourist accommodation in Cyprus rose from 15,636,125 in 2023 to 17,909,478 in 2024, representing a remarkable 14.54 per cent increase between those two years.

“The estimated number of nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments in the EU reached 3.08 billion, exceeding the previous year by 61.5 million, or 2 per cent,” the statistical office said in its first estimates.

The broader EU expansion was primarily fuelled by international guests who contributed an additional 46.1 million nights, while domestic tourism grew at a slower pace with 15.4 million more nights.

This left the European market fairly balanced, with international visitors accounting for 49 per cent of stays and domestic guests making up 51 per cent.

Across the bloc, hotels remained the preferred choice, hosting 1.9 billion nights or 63 per cent of the total, followed by holiday dwellings at 24 per cent and campsites at 13 per cent.

Within Cyprus, the summer of 2025 proved to be exceptionally busy.

August 2025 emerged as the peak month with 2,953,148 nights spent on the island, followed by 2,627,725 nights in July and 2,484,732 in September.

This seasonal trend highlights the enduring appeal of the island during the high-summer period.

Even as autumn approached, the numbers remained strong for Cyprus.

October 2025 recorded 2,382,970 nights, which is a 3.21 per cent increase compared to the 2,308,851 nights recorded in October 2024.

While Cyprus showed strong momentum, other member states also saw varying degrees of success.

The largest increases in 2025 were recorded in Malta at 10 per cent, Poland at 7 per cent, and Latvia at 6 per cent.

Conversely, slight decreases were observed in Romania at 1 per cent and Ireland at 2 per cent.

Despite these local dips, the overall trend remained positive for the continent.

At the EU level, the total number of nights grew from 2,943,247,398 in 2023 to 3,021,780,365 in 2024, a calculated rise of 2.67 per cent.

“In 2025, the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation rose in nearly all EU countries,” the report confirmed.

The data suggests that the recovery of international travel has become the primary engine of growth for the industry.

“The growth in tourism nights was mainly driven by an increase in nights spent by international guests,” the statisticians added.

The continued success of the Cypriot tourism sector into late 2025, particularly the year-on-year growth in October, positions the island as a resilient destination.

As the industry looks toward 2026, the high volume of international stays continues to be a cornerstone of the national economy.