Tourist accommodation reservations via online platforms rise in Cyprus, EU

Tourist accommodation reservations made through online platforms within the European Union have displayed strong growth in the second quarter of 2023.

Online booking services provided by platforms like Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group, and TripAdvisor have played a pivotal role in driving this trend.

During the second quarter of 2023, Europe welcomed nearly 153 million visitors who made their reservations through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group, or TripAdvisor. This represents a significant increase of 15.8% compared to the same period in 2022.

According to Eurostat data, Cyprus witnessed a substantial number of online bookings for accommodations during the first half of the year, totalling 1,687,199 (January 145,078, February 165,955, March 218,984, April 331,486, May 369,939, June 455,837).

In the first half of 2023, European visitors accounted for approximately 237 million overnight stays in short-term rental accommodations within the EU, booked through online platforms. This marks a substantial increase compared to 2022 (199 million overnight stays, +18.8%) and significantly surpasses pre-pandemic levels (193 million overnight stays in 2019, +22.6%).

Online platform tourism in Europe continues to exceed pre-pandemic levels and sets new monthly records. In April, there were 46.7 million overnight stays in accommodations booked through online platforms, marking a 19.5% increase compared to April 2022. May saw this number rise to 47.6 million (+22.6% compared to May 2022), and in June, the total reached 58.7 million (+8.4% compared to June 2022). While traditional coastal vacation destinations remain popular year-round, other regions with more pronounced seasonality have emerged in the top 20 destinations during the winter months of 2023.

The most popular regions for short-term rental accommodations booked through online platforms in the first quarter of 2023 included the French Alps (5.2 million overnight stays), the Spanish Canary Islands (5 million), and Andalusia (4.3 million). Regions dependent on winter tourism, such as Tyrol in Austria (1.9 million), also ranked high on the list.

In the top 20 regions, France and Spain each had five regions, Italy and Portugal had three, Austria had two, and Poland and Hungary each had one.

As reported, data at the national level on a monthly basis is collected by the four platforms following an agreement reached with the European Commission in March 2020. Additionally, regional-level data is also disclosed with a quarterly lag as part of the agreement between the Commission and the four companies.