Turkey Joins Italy, Spain, Austria, Greece and Norway in Boosting Europe’s Tourism as Tourist Numbers and Overnight Stays Climb in 2025: Everything You Need To Know

Published on December 23, 2025

Tourism activity across several European destinations remained elevated through in 2025, with official figures pointing to sustained international travel, rising overnight stays, and high visitor volumes. Turkey recorded over 50 million foreign tourists in the first eleven months of the year, while Spain approached 85.7 million international visitors during the first ten months of 2025. Greece registered 31.6 million visitors by the end of September, and Italy was projected to host 146.3 million arrivals across the year. At the same time, Austria reported a record 83.39 million overnight stays during the summer season, and Norway welcomed 6.20 million international visitors in 2024. Together, these figures highlighted continued tourism momentum across Europe, with data centered on arrivals, guest nights, and accommodation demand across key travel markets.

Turkey Crosses Fifty Million Foreign Tourist Arrivals

Turkey recorded more than 50 million foreign tourists between January and November, according to official data issued in late December. A total of 50.06 million international arrivals were registered during the eleven-month period, reflecting a marginal increase of 0.03 percent compared with the same period a year earlier. When Turkish citizens residing abroad were included, total visits reached 58.48 million.

Tourists from Russia represented the largest group of foreign visitors, with 6.7 million arrivals during the period, showing a year-on-year rise of 2.7 percent. Germany followed closely with 6.5 million visitors, marking an increase of 1.8 percent. Arrivals from the United Kingdom declined by 3.8 percent to 4.17 million, while tourism from Iran fell by 7.5 percent to 2.8 million. Bulgarian arrivals also decreased, dropping 5 percent to 2.55 million.

Growth was recorded from several Latin American markets. Visitor numbers from Argentina rose by 31 percent to over 71,000, while arrivals from Colombia increased 24 percent to more than 83,000. Chile registered a 37 percent rise to around 33,000 visitors, and arrivals from Venezuela grew by 11 percent to 28,200.

Istanbul remained the country’s most visited destination, receiving 17.5 million visitors, followed by Antalya with 15.75 million. In November alone, foreign tourist arrivals increased by 2.6 percent year-on-year to 2.8 million.

Spain Approaches Eighty-Six Million International Visitors

Spain reported strong tourism volumes during 2025, with provisional border movement data showing continued growth. In October, 9.2 million international visitors entered the country, representing a 3.2 percent increase compared with the same month in the previous year.

Across the first ten months of 2025, international tourist arrivals approached 85.7 million, reflecting a 3.5 percent rise year-on-year. This marked the highest level recorded since Spain’s FRONTUR statistical series began. The data highlighted sustained travel demand through the autumn period, with tourism volumes remaining elevated beyond the traditional summer peak.

Greece Maintains High Visitor Numbers Through the Year

Greece continued to post strong tourism performance, with 31.6 million visitors recorded between January and the end of September. The figure represented a four percent increase compared with the same period in the previous year, according to national banking data published in late November.

The steady rise in visitor numbers followed several years of record-setting performance since the global health crisis, with foreign arrivals and tourism revenues consistently reaching new highs. The reported data reflected continued international interest across the Mediterranean destination during the extended travel season.

Italy Registers Rising Arrivals and Overnight Stays

Italy was projected to experience another strong year for tourism, based on industry research prepared for a major travel trade event. The study estimated 146.3 million arrivals during 2025, representing a 4.7 percent increase compared with the previous year.

Overnight stays were projected at nearly 476.8 million, marking a 2.3 percent annual rise. Direct tourist spending was estimated at 135 billion euros, underscoring the scale of travel-related economic activity linked to both domestic and international tourism flows during the year.

Austria Sees Record Summer Accommodation Demand

Austria reported record accommodation usage during the 2025 summer season. From May to October, 83.39 million overnight stays were recorded across hotels, guesthouses, and holiday apartments, reflecting a 2.2 percent increase over the previous year and the highest level since statistical records began.

Nights spent by non-resident guests rose by 2.9 percent to 59.53 million, while resident guest nights increased by 0.3 percent to 23.86 million. Arrivals during the summer season reached 27.07 million, up 2.6 percent year-on-year. Germany remained the largest source market, with 32.04 million overnight stays, followed by growth from Czechia, Italy, and the United States.

Norway Records Growth in International Guest Nights

Norway welcomed 6.20 million international visitors in 2024, representing a 9.73 percent increase compared with 2023 and a 5.44 percent rise over pre-pandemic 2019 levels. These visitors accounted for 26.2 million guest nights during the year.

Domestic travel contributed an additional 12.4 million guest nights, bringing the total to 38.6 million overnight stays. During the first five months of 2025, guest nights reached 13.11 million, up 2.58 percent compared with the same period in the previous year, reflecting continued growth in accommodation demand.

Bottom Line

Tourism data across Turkey, Spain, Greece, Italy, Austria, and Norway continued to reflect high levels of travel activity, visitor movement, and accommodation demand. Turkey remained among the leading destinations by foreign tourist arrivals, while Spain approached record international visitor volumes. Greece sustained elevated tourist numbers through much of the year, and Italy recorded strong arrivals alongside rising overnight stays. Austria posted record summer overnight figures, and Norway continued to see growth in international visitors and guest nights. Collectively, Turkey, Spain, Greece, Italy, Austria, and Norway accounted for a significant share of Europe’s tourism flows, with Turkey, Spain, Greece, Italy, Austria, and Norway each contributing large volumes of tourists, visitors, and overnight stays based strictly on the reported data.
Some figures referenced above are based on provisional releases and may be updated as official reporting is finalized. Readers may refer to official tourism and statistics websites for the latest details.

Image Source: AI