European tourism continues to grow, but that growth is not spread evenly throughout the year. Data published by Eurostat on 1 September 2026 show that tourist accommodation across the European Union recorded 1.321 billion overnight stays in the first half of 2026, up 1.7% compared with the same period in 2025.
For independent properties, one particularly relevant finding concerns where demand comes from: foreign visitors accounted for almost half of all overnight stays in the first half of the year, at 48.9%. Nights spent by international visitors increased by 2.5%, almost three times the growth in domestic visitor nights, which rose by 0.9%.
A growing market that remains highly seasonal
The longer-term picture also points to a strong tourism sector. In 2025, the European Union recorded nearly 3.1 billion overnight stays, a new record. Italy, with 476.9 million nights, was the EU's second-largest market after Spain.
Overall growth, however, does not remove the problem of seasonal concentration. Eurostat's seasonality analysis shows that in 2025, 31% of all EU tourism nights were concentrated in July and August alone. August accounted for 16% of the annual total, with 501 million nights, and July for 15%, with 460 million. The peak month recorded 3.6 times as many nights as January.
The difference is particularly relevant to accommodation types close to the B&B and short-stay rental market. In the “holiday and other short-stay accommodation” category, the third quarter accounted for 43% of annual overnight stays, compared with 36% in hotels.
Why this matters for B&Bs and independent properties
For a small property, the low-season challenge cannot be understood simply as a “lack of tourists”. The figures show a European market that is still expanding, with international visitor demand growing faster. Part of the challenge is therefore how to reach some of the demand available during quieter periods.
This changes how a property can approach its weaker months. Before cutting rates across the board, it should identify the dates when demand actually falls, the markets still looking for the destination, its dependence on online travel agencies (OTAs), and the offer guests see when the usual peak-season reason for travelling no longer applies.
Four numbers to review before lowering your price
1. Occupancy by individual week. Monthly averages can hide strong weekends and completely empty periods. Build the strategy around specific dates, not just months.
2. Where your guests come from. With international visitor nights in the EU up 2.5% in the first half of 2026, understanding which overseas markets book further ahead can help you plan offers and content in advance.
3. The mix of OTA and direct bookings. Higher occupancy does not necessarily mean a higher margin. Assess commissions, discounts and promotions alongside net revenue.
4. How well your off-peak offer converts. If you use the same page, photographs and proposition in August and November, the problem may involve positioning as well as price.
Low season as a measurable commercial challenge
Many independent properties only address seasonality once the booking calendar is already empty. A more useful approach is to identify weak periods in advance, assess which guest segments may still generate demand, and build a specific offer for those dates.
European data cannot tell an individual B&B which strategy to adopt. They do, however, show two clear patterns: overall tourism demand continues to grow, while overnight stays remain unevenly distributed throughout the year. The gap between these two patterns is where an important part of the opportunity for low-season growth lies.
Sources and methodology
This article uses official Eurostat data on tourist accommodation in the European Union. Aggregate figures do not represent the performance of any individual destination or property and should be considered alongside local information and the property's own data. The commercial implications discussed here are Low Season Growth's interpretation of those figures.
Sources:
Eurostat — EU tourism nights up by 1.7% in first half of 2026
Eurostat — Another record year for EU tourism in 2025
Eurostat — Seasonality in the tourist accommodation sector
Low Season Growth analyses weaker demand periods for independent properties and turns data, positioning, booking channels and offers into practical priorities. The Low-Season Revenue Audit is available at lowseasongrowth.com.