Greece’s sun-drenched islands and alpine resorts in Italy and Austria ranked among the European Union’s most heavily visited destinations last year, while Croatia’s Adriatic coast also featured high on the list, according to data released on Thursday by Germany’s Federal Statistical Office.
The South Aegean region of Greece, home to tourist magnets such as Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes, recorded 117 overnight stays per resident in 2023 — the highest tourism intensity in the bloc’s 237 administrative regions.
The Ionian Islands in western Greece, which include Corfu, came second with 98 overnight stays per inhabitant, followed by Italy’s alpine province of South Tyrol with 68.
Croatia’s Adriatic coastline matched Spain’s Balearic Islands at 67 overnight stays per resident, while Crete and Austria’s Tyrol each recorded an intensity of 55.
At the other end of the scale, parts of Poland and Romania reported some of the EU’s lowest tourism intensity, with fewer than one overnight stay per resident last year.
In Germany, the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania topped the domestic ranking with 18 overnight stays per resident, putting it 17th overall in the EU.
In absolute numbers, Spain’s Canary Islands were Europe’s busiest region, logging 95.6 million overnight stays in 2023. However, with a population of over two million, the islands ranked only 10th for tourism intensity.
Germany’s most visited destination in total overnight stays was Upper Bavaria — home to Munich — with 41.6 million stays last year.