EU tourism grew by 1.71% in the first half of the year: The biggest increases were in Slovenia and Serbia.
In the first six months of 2026. tourist accommodation in the EU It recorded 1.321 billion overnight stays, 1.71 per cent more than a year earlier. In a comparable cross-section of the region's countries, Slovenia and Serbia recorded the largest growth, while Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina enter the second half of the year with a significantly more modest pace.
European tourism continued to grow in 2026, but the figures show that demand is not evenly distributed. According to Eurostat, overnight stays by foreign guests rose by 2.51% in the first half of the year, while the domestic segment increased by 0.9%. Foreign guests accounted for almost half of all overnight stays in the EU.
Slovenia and Serbia above the European average
Among the observed markets in the region Slovenia is growing the fastest. From January to June, it achieved 7.28 million overnight stays, which is 5.71 TP3T more but a year earlier. International demand was particularly strong: foreign guests generated 5.2 million overnight stays, up 6.81%.
A similar result was recorded Serbia. In the first semester, almost 5.99 million overnight stays, 51% more but in the same period in 2025. Domestic overnight stays rose by 4.61%, and foreign by 5.41%.
Data for Serbia are comparable with Eurostat's analysis based on two important criteria: they refer to January–June 2026. and measures tourist overnight stays. However, it should be borne in mind that national methodologies are not identical in every detail to the harmonised Eurostat statistics.
Croatia at 0.51%, Bosnia and Herzegovina at 11%
Croatia is the most dominant tourist destination in the region. Consequently, it is difficult to maintain constant growth, and so Croatia achieved 26 million overnight stays in the same period, only 0.5% more than last year. Meanwhile, domestic overnight stays rose by 7.71%, while foreign ones fell by 0.61%. Such a structure shows that the domestic market has practically offset the weaker performance of international demand.
Bosnia and Herzegovina she recorded 1.82 million overnight stays, with growth of 11%. Domestic overnight stays increased by 4.31%, while foreign ones fell by 0.51%. The data for BiH cover the entire first half-year and the same underlying indicator as Eurostat's analysis, making them suitable for regional comparison.
The region is divided into two distinct growth rates
The figures so far show a pretty clear division. Slovenia and Serbia are growing about three times faster than the EU average, while Croatia and BiH are below it. What is even more interesting is that Croatia and BiH are maintaining growth primarily thanks to domestic demand, at a time when at the EU level international traffic is precisely the main source of the increase in overnight stays.
For tourism companies, that is an important signal ahead of the final part of the year. Growth in European demand alone does not automatically mean growth for every destination. Availability, prices, product structure and the ability to attract international guests outside the peak summer season increasingly determine who takes a larger share of the market.
Montenegro and Albania are not included in this comparison. In the official publications used, the data we previously analysed referred to a different period or indicator — for example, just June or the number of guests instead of nights. Including them alongside the half-yearly data from other countries could therefore create a misleading impression of the relative outcome.
