EU short-term rental nights rose 17.8% in the second quarter of 2025

On October 2, 2025, Eurostat reported that guests spent 245.9 million nights in short-term rental accommodation in the European Union during the second quarter of 2025, booked via online platforms Airbnb, Booking, and Expedia. This total represented a substantial expansion for the European short-term lodging sector, following positive indicators from the first quarter of the year. The statistical agency of the European Union noted that the second quarter performance pointed to a promising year for tourism across the continent, with growth distributed across both major tourism destinations and smaller national markets.

The reported figures showed that every member state of the European Union recorded an increase in guest nights during the second quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. This broad-based growth contrasted with the more varied performance observed during the first quarter of 2025, suggesting a stabilization and strengthening of travel demand heading into the peak summer travel season.

What the data shows

The total of 245.9 million nights spent in short-term rental accommodation in the European Union during the second quarter of 2025 marked an increase of 17.8% compared with the same quarter of 2024. When compared with the second quarter of 2023, the figure represented an increase of 36.8%, demonstrating sustained growth over a two-year period. This upward trajectory was visible throughout the quarter, although the rate of growth fluctuated significantly from month to month.

“As the first quarter of the year already indicated, 2025 is looking like a promising year for tourism,” Eurostat reported.

In April 2025, nights spent in short-stay accommodation increased by 34.3% compared with April 2024. Eurostat attributed this substantial increase primarily to the timing of the Easter holidays, which took place in April 2025. This holiday-driven surge was followed by a more modest growth of 5.3% in May 2025 compared with May 2024. In June 2025, growth accelerated again, with guest nights rising 18.1% compared with June 2024.

At the national level, growth varied across the European Union during the second quarter of 2025. According to figures published by Eurostat, guest nights increased across various member states compared with the same period of 2024. This performance highlighted strong growth in several smaller national markets alongside major destinations.

The second quarter results marked an acceleration from the first quarter of 2025 across the EU. Eurostat pointed out that all European Union countries reported increases compared with the second quarter of 2024, in contrast to the more mixed picture seen in the first quarter of the year.

Strong growth was also recorded in major European tourism destinations. Spain posted a strong performance in guest nights during the second quarter of 2025 compared with the second quarter of 2024. Germany, France, and Greece also recorded notable increases in guest nights. Poland, Portugal, and Italy also recorded increases compared with the same period in 2024.

How it was measured

The data was compiled and published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The figures were derived from monthly data on short-stay accommodation offered via online collaborative economy platforms. This statistical initiative is based on a data-sharing agreement signed between the European Commission and major online booking platforms.

For the second quarter of 2025, the contributing platforms that provided data were Airbnb, Booking, and Expedia. Eurostat noted that Tripadvisor, which had previously contributed to this dataset, publicly announced its exit from this line of business in late 2024 and did not contribute data for the 2025 reporting periods. Consequently, Tripadvisor will no longer contribute data going forward.

Eurostat published the data for the second quarter of 2025 at the national level, while regional data was published for the first quarter of 2025. The regional data is presented at NUTS 2 level, which refers to level 2 of the Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics, a standard developed by the European Union for referencing subdivisions of countries for statistical purposes.

Regional distribution in the first quarter

While second-quarter regional data was not yet available at the time of publication, Eurostat's first-quarter regional data highlighted the geographical concentration of short-term rental demand across Europe. During the first quarter of 2025, the most popular regions for short-term rental accommodation booked via online platforms were Canarias in Spain, which recorded 8.8 million nights, followed by Rhône-Alpes in France with 8.1 million nights, and Andalucía in Spain with 7.7 million nights.

The concentration of demand was also reflected in the ranking of the top 20 European regions during the first quarter of 2025. Among these top 20 regions, five were located in Spain and another five were located in France. Italy was represented by three regions, while Austria and Portugal each had two regions in the top 20. Hungary, Poland, and Greece each had one region represented in the top 20 list for the first quarter of 2025.

This regional distribution underscored the continued dominance of Southern European beach destinations and Alpine ski regions during the winter months, with Canarias and Rhône-Alpes leading the continent in total guest nights.

The impact of holiday timing

The monthly fluctuations observed during the second quarter of 2025 illustrated the significant impact of holiday timing on short-term rental demand. The 34.3% surge in guest nights in April 2025, compared with April 2024, was heavily influenced by the Easter holidays falling entirely in April. In the previous year, the holiday calendar differed, which shifted the concentration of spring travel.

Because Easter travel occurred in April, the growth rate in May 2025 moderated to 5.3% compared with May 2024. This deceleration did not indicate a structural decline in demand, but rather a temporary normalization of travel patterns between major holiday periods. The subsequent rebound to an 18.1% increase in June 2025 confirmed that the underlying demand remained strong as the summer season commenced.

This volatility highlighted the importance of analyzing quarterly or multi-month trends rather than relying solely on single-month comparisons, which can be heavily distorted by the shifting calendar of major holidays.

What the data does not tell you

While Eurostat's report provided a comprehensive view of guest nights spent in short-term rentals, it left out several critical metrics that property managers and investors need to assess market health. The data did not include average daily rates (ADR) or revenue per available room (RevPAR), making it impossible to determine whether the increase in guest nights translated into higher revenues or profit margins for hosts.

Furthermore, the figures did not disclose occupancy rates or total listing supply. An increase in guest nights could be accompanied by an even larger increase in available listings, which would result in lower occupancy rates for individual hosts. The report also lacked information on guest demographics, such as the split between domestic and international travelers, or the average length of stay per booking.

Additionally, because regional data lagged national data by a quarter, the report did not show which specific cities or coastal areas drove the second-quarter growth. Property managers, for example, knew that national guest nights rose in the second quarter of 2025, but they could not see from this release how that growth was distributed between coastal resorts and urban centers.

Finally, the exit of Tripadvisor from the data-sharing agreement in late 2024 introduced a minor inconsistency in the year-over-year comparisons. Although Eurostat adjusted its reporting, the absence of Tripadvisor's historical volume meant the comparison with 2024 and 2023 might not be perfectly aligned, a detail that the statistical release did not fully quantify.

What to take from it

When analyzing Eurostat's short-term rental data, property managers and investors should keep several strategic lessons in mind:

• Compare regional performance with national benchmarks to identify high-growth pockets rather than relying solely on country-level averages.
• Account for calendar effects, such as the shifting dates of Easter, when evaluating monthly revenue and occupancy fluctuations in your own portfolio.
• Monitor platform participation changes, as the exit or entry of major booking channels like Tripadvisor can influence aggregate statistical reporting and market share distribution.
• Use national-level growth rates as a macro indicator of tourism health, but rely on localized, real-time data for daily pricing and inventory strategies.