Spain ranked first among European countries in terms of the number of tourist overnight stays in 2025, confirming its status as one of the world’s top tourist destinations. According to the information and analytical centre Experts Club, last year tourists spent 329.7 million nights in hotels and other accommodation facilities in Spain
The second place was occupied by Italy with 264.7 million nights, the third – Turkey with 154.8 million, followed by France – 150.8 million nights and the UK – 149.8 million, with the UK data for 2024.
The top ten also includes Greece with 130.9 million, Austria with 97 million, Croatia with 85.6 million, Germany with 83.6 million and the Netherlands with 64.3 million. Thus, the European tourism market is still formed not only by the largest EU countries, but also by medium-sized destinations with strong resort and cultural specialisation.
Spain remains the leader due to its combination of beach tourism, major urban destinations, developed hotel infrastructure and high demand from travellers from Europe and beyond. Despite protests against excessive tourism in certain regions of Spain and Italy, tourist flows to these countries remain high.
France maintains a strong position not only thanks to Paris. In summer, tourists are attracted to the Côte d’Azur and Provence, and in winter to Alpine resorts. Austria and Croatia also demonstrate that countries with smaller populations can be among the leaders thanks to their specialisation in mountain, cultural and maritime tourism.
Europe as a whole remains the world’s most visited region. According to data cited in the piece, travellers spent more than 1.5 billion nights in European accommodation, up from only around 25 million in 1950.
For the travel market, this confirms the steady recovery and growth of the travel industry after the pandemic. The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates that the travel and tourism sector could grow by 3.2% in 2026, with the industry supporting 376 million jobs globally, roughly one in nine jobs.