Romania recorded the fewest tourist accommodation nights per capita in the EU in 2025

In 2025, Romania had the fewest nights spent in tourist accommodation per capita among the European Union states. The accommodation establishments included in Eurostat’s statistics recorded 1.6 overnight stays for every resident, compared with the European average of 7. The total number of overnight stays in Romania fell by 1.7% compared with 2024, while at EU level it increased by 4.1%.

In brief

1. Romania had the fewest nights spent in tourist accommodation per resident in the EU in 2025, at 1.6 compared with the European average of 7.

2. Overnight stays in Romania fell by 1.7%, in a year when the European total increased by 4.1%.

3. Visitors residing abroad spent more nights in Romania, but the increase did not offset the decline in overnight stays by people residing in the country.

4. The net occupancy rate of places in hotels and similar establishments was 34.3% in Romania, below the EU average of 49.9%.

5. The data concern the accommodation establishments included in the reporting. They do not measure all trips made by Romanians, tourism revenue, or crowding at each destination.

The data published by Eurostat on 16 October 2026 describe activity in 2025, not the development of tourism in the current year. They show that approximately 29.7 million overnight stays were recorded in Romania. Romania and Luxembourg were the only Member States in which the total decreased compared with the previous year. At European level, the number reached approximately 3.1 billion, although the comparison with 2024 is also influenced by the expansion of the accommodation categories included in Italy’s and Lithuania’s statistics.

The decline in Romania came from visitors residing in the country. They accounted for approximately 24.4 million overnight stays, 3.6% fewer than in 2024, and represented more than four-fifths of the total. By contrast, overnight stays by people residing abroad increased by 7.9%, to approximately 5.3 million. Their share rose from 16.3% to 17.9%, but the increase was not sufficient to offset the reduction recorded among visitors residing in Romania.

The difference between the two categories concerns residence, not citizenship. A Romanian citizen settled in another country who returns and stays at a hotel or guesthouse in Romania is included among non-resident visitors. For the same reason, the reduction in overnight stays by residents does not, by itself, show whether Romanians travelled less overall or whether they more often chose destinations abroad.

Reporting the figures relative to population makes it possible to compare accommodation volumes between countries of different sizes. A person who stays three nights at an accommodation establishment generates three overnight stays. The indicator adds up the nights of all visitors, including those residing in the country visited, and divides them by that country’s population. The 1.6 nights calculated for Romania do not represent the average length of a Romanian’s holiday, nor the number of tourists received per resident.

At the other end of the comparison are Croatia, with 24.5 overnight stays per resident, Malta, with 21.7, and Cyprus, with 19.4. After Romania, the lowest values were recorded in Latvia, at 2.7, and in Poland and Slovakia, at 2.9 each. This ranking concerns the volume of overnight stays relative to population, without establishing tourism revenue or the quality of services.

Another measure in Eurostat’s analysis shows how extensively accommodation places in hotels and similar establishments were used. In Romania, their net occupancy rate was 34.3%, compared with 49.9% in the EU. The calculation takes into account the number of available places and the days on which they could be used, excluding seasonal or temporary closures. The percentage refers to accommodation places, not rooms, and does not describe the entire tourist accommodation market.

The statistics have a defined scope. They cover paid accommodation reported by hotels, establishments for holidays and other short stays, as well as campsites. They do not include trips without an overnight stay, accommodation with relatives or friends, stays in second homes, or small establishments that were not included in the reporting. The thresholds for including establishments differ between states, so the figures do not constitute a complete inventory of all trips.

Eurostat also uses tourism intensity to examine possible pressure on communities. A low national average may conceal a concentration of visitors in a particular city or during a few months of the year. For Romania, the 2025 result shows a decline in overnight stays at the establishments included in the statistics, despite growth in the non-resident segment. Explaining the causes and assessing the effects on tourism businesses, however, requires additional data on destinations, seasonality, expenditure, and revenue.