Eurostat: Tourism recovered in 2021 – Greece in first place

In 2021, tourism was among the sectors that began to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, following the easing of some restrictions. According to data released by Eurostat, the number of overnight stays in EU tourist accommodation amounted to 1.8 billion, an increase of 27% compared to 2020, but decreased by 37% compared to 2019.

The number of overnight stays in 2021 compared to 2020 has increased in most EU Member States according to available data. The largest increases were recorded in Greece, Spain and Croatia, with increases of over 70%. Latvia, Slovakia and Austria, on the other hand, were the Member States with reductions.

On the other hand, when comparing the number of overnight stays in 2021 with the pre-pandemic year 2019, the countries most affected were Latvia, Slovakia, Malta and Hungary, with drops of more than 50%.

At the other end of the scale, Denmark and the Netherlands reported a fall of less than 20%.

In Greece the relative percentage was of the order of 49.4%.

In 2021 compared to 2020, there was an increase in the share of overnight stays by non-residents of each country (from 29% in 2020 to 32% in 2021, +3 percentage points).

This increase was attributed to the share of visitors from other EU countries (from 21% in 2020 to 24% in 2021), while the share of visitors from the rest of Europe and the rest of the world remained the same (5% and 3%, respectively).

On the other hand, when comparing 2021 with the data before the pandemic (2019), all EU countries recorded a decrease in non-resident visitors. Latvia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were hardest hit, falling more than 75%, while Croatia and Luxembourg were less affected, falling less than 45%.