Since 2020, the European Commission has established a data-sharing agreement with Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia Group, and Tripadvisor through Eurostat. This allows for a better understanding of the market status and, in particular, its evolution in leisure accommodation.
In 2024, travelers booked 854 million nights via “collaborative platforms,” compared to 719 million in 2023, marking an increase of nearly 19% and confirming the post-2021 momentum. The number of nights now far exceeds the 512 million recorded in 2019. On average, 2.3 million tourists per day stayed in short-term rentals in Europe in 2024.
France firmly on the top step of the podium
More than one-fifth of all nights in 2024 took place in France, with 192 million bookings, followed by Spain (171 million), Italy (127 million), Germany (60 million), and Greece (45 million).
France recorded the highest number of bookings (18.5 million), corresponding to shorter stays than in Spain (10 nights versus 14). Together with Italy, these destinations accounted for more than half of all stays in 2024.
In 2024, Germany’s annual growth reached 22.6%, closely followed by the two largest markets: France and Spain with +20.9%.
Other countries exceeding 10 million nights include Portugal (45 million), Poland (39 million), Croatia (38 million), Austria (23 million), Belgium (12 million), as well as Hungary, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic (11 million each) and Switzerland (10 million).
Most nights are international, except in France
In the EU, 6 out of 10 nights in 2024 were booked by international tourists, totaling 531 million nights (62%). Although a majority, this share remains below the pre-pandemic level (67% in 2019). While foreign nights account for 95% of the volume in Malta, they represent 65% in Spain, but only 39% in France. This indicates that domestic short-term rental is very popular in France, the world’s leading Airbnb market outside the USA.
The 20 most popular regions concentrate nearly half of all nights
In 2024, 20 regions recorded more than 10 million nights booked via platforms. The three most visited are Andalusia (44 million nights), the Adriatic coast of Croatia (35 million), and the French Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (31 million). Together, they represent nearly 13% of total nights booked in the EU. Overall, the top 20 regions account for 47% of all nights. Most are in Spain (7 regions), France (6), and Italy (5), while Croatia and Portugal each contribute one region to this ranking.
Paris, leading European urban destination with 65,000 travelers per night
In 2024, 69 cities in the EU and EFTA recorded more than one million nights booked via platforms, compared to 60 in 2023. The top urban destinations were Paris (23.5 million nights – nearly 65,000 travelers per night), followed by Rome (15.7 million), Barcelona (12.5 million), Madrid (11.8 million), and Lisbon (11.3 million). These five cities totaled 74.7 million nights, approximately 8.8% of the EU + EFTA total (854 million).
All major cities have now surpassed their pre-crisis levels. The strongest annual growth in 2024 was observed in Milan (+27%), Rome (+24.9%), and Madrid (+24.4%), each showing significant progress compared to 2023.
First sign of slowdown in Q1 2025
Data from the first quarter of 2025 reveals continued strong growth but with an initial sign of deceleration. This is partly explained by the shift of Easter school holidays to the second quarter, but it may also indicate a first slowdown in the exponential growth that prevailed until the end of Q1: +16.3% in January, +11.6% in February, but only +4.8% over the entire quarter, with still 130 million nights recorded.
