Nights spent by non-residents rose by 12%, the fourth largest increase in the EU.

However nights spent by the island’s residents dropped by 5.8%.

The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation in 2016 grew in nearly all member states for which data is available, with the largest increases being observed in Bulgaria (+17.9%) and Slovakia (+16.0%), followed by Poland (+11.8%) and Cyprus (+10.9%). The only significant falls were registered in France with minus 4.6% and the UK (-4.5%).

In the EU, the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments by non-residents grew faster (+3.6%) between 2015 and 2016 than those spent by residents (+0.6%). Almost every EU member state recorded an increase in the number of tourism nights spent by non-residents. A notable exception is France, where this number decreased by 8.7%.

Overall, in 2016 the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the EU is expected tohave reached more than 2.8 billion, up by 2% compared with 2015. Since 2009, there has been a steady increase in the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation in the EU, notably driven by the rise in the nights spent by non-residents of the member state.

Source: Cyprus Mail