The number of overnight stays in tourist establishments in the European Union (EU) increased by 6.1% in 2023 compared to the previous year, to 2.9 billion, exceeding the values ​​by 1.4% pre-Covid-19, according to Eurostat data.

According to the EU's statistical service, last year, 24 of the 25 Member States for which data is available (except Bulgaria and Ireland) exceeded 2022 levels in terms of tourist overnight stays.

The biggest increases were seen in Malta and Cyprus (20%), followed by Slovakia (16%), with Luxembourg showing the only decline (-1%).

Of the 2.9 billion tourist overnight stays in the EU in 2023, 1.6 came from third countries and the remaining 1.3 were from residents of the European bloc.

In Portugal, 85 million overnight stays were recorded in 2023, an increase of 10.4% compared to the previous year and 9.5% when compared to 2019, before the covid-19 pandemic.