TRAVEL: Malta and Cyprus have highest rates of foreign tourists

Τhe Mediterranean island destinations of Malta and Cyprus maintained the highest rates of non-resident stays in hotels and other units in the European Union last year, with foreign visitors and tourists accounting for 96% of all stays in Malta and 94% in Cyprus.

According to Eurostat figures for 2014, Croatia was next with 92%, followed by Luxembourg (88%) and Greece (79%). The lowest rates were recorded in Romania (18%), Poland (19%) and Germany (20%), where local residents outnumber foreign visitors and tourists.
The Eurostat data showed that the total number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the EU is expected to have peaked at around 2.7 bln nights in 2014, up by 1.7% compared with 2013. Following a decline in 2009 with the beginning of the financial crisis, there has been a steady increase in the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation in the EU over the last five years.
The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation in 2014 grew in most of the EU member states, with the largest increases recorded in Latvia (+11.1%), Belgium (+7.2%), Portugal (+7.1%) and Greece (+6.9%). In contrast, the largest falls were recorded in Slovakia (-5.5%), Finland (-1.9%) and Italy (-1.8%).