Greece recorded the highest increase (11.7%) in nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in 2013, Eurostat said yesterday. The EU executive’s statistics service said nights spent in the EU 28 grew in 2013 compared to the previous year. There has been a steady increase in the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the EU28 since 2003, only interrupted in 2008 and 2009, coinciding with the beginning of the financial crisis.

Each year since 2010 has seen new record levels. The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in 2013 increased in nearly all EU member-states. The largest increases were recorded in Greece (+11.7%), Malta (+7.8%), Latvia (+7.3%), the United Kingdom (+6.5%), Bulgaria (+6.2%), Slovakia (+5.5%) and Hungary (+5.0%).

See also Eurstat News Release (29.01.2014)