4.4 million more nights (+4.9%) were spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the European Union in January 2012 in comparison to January 2011. According to Eurostat, with the exception of Portugal and Malta, this increase was reflected in the national figures of all Member States.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published an article which focuses on the short-term evolutions in the nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the European Union. With regard to the figures published into this article, in January 2012, compared with January 2011, 4.4 million more nights (+4.9%) were spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the EU. This increase was more pronounced for non-residents (tourists travelling outside their country of residence) than for residents (+6.3% and +3.8% respectively).

In 2011, the number of nights spent in hotels and similar establishments in the EU reached a peak of 1.6 billion nights, as it was reported by Eurostat in January 2012. In particular, from November 2011 to January 2012, a growth rate of 4.5% was recorded in the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments, compared with the same period one year earlier, while the segment of hotels and similar establishments recorded a growth of 4.3%. The increase was registered in all Member States except Portugal and Malta.

With six Member States among the world’s top ten destinations for holidaymakers, the EU is a major tourist destination. Tourism is an important activity in the EU which has the potential to contribute towards employment and economic growth, as well as to development in rural, peripheral or less-developed areas. According to Eurostat, these characteristics drive the demand for reliable and harmonised statistics within this field, as well as within the wider context of regional policy and sustainable development policy areas.