On 2 October 2026 Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published a short news item on nights booked online. It concerns short-term rentals that guests found and booked through platforms such as Airbnb, Booking and Expedia.

What Eurostat reports

In the second quarter of 2026, from April to June, tourists spent 258.8 million nights in such rentals in the EU. That is 5.3% more than in the second quarter of 2025, or 13.1 million more nights.

Compared with a more distant year, the growth is larger: against the second quarter of 2024, nights are up 23.9%, or by 50.0 million.

The national data in the publication is for the second quarter of 2026. The regional data is older, for the first quarter of 2026. In it, the most nights were recorded in the Canary Islands and Rhône-Alpes (8.8 million each), followed by Andalusia (8.3 million). Of the ten most popular regions, five are in Spain, three in France and two in Italy.

How to read the numbers

This is data for the whole EU. The text of the news item gives no separate figures for Bulgaria, so it cannot tell you how many of these nights were spent in Bulgarian properties. It is not a forecast for the next season and does not show what will happen for you.

The figure refers to short-term rentals booked through the three platforms, not to hotels as a whole. The growth shows that this way of booking is used more often in the EU, but it says nothing about demand in a particular town or village.

What this means for guest houses

If you have a guest house, apartments or guest rooms, the news is a signal that platforms remain a serious discovery channel. That is not a reason to give them up. It is useful to know what yours looks like: how many enquiries last season came through a platform, how many by phone and how many from your own website.

Three practical steps:

  • Look through the last ten reservations and note where they came from.
  • Check that the price, photos and description are the same on the platform and on your website.
  • Check that the website has a clear way to contact you: a phone number and an enquiry form.

Separately from this data: Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 on the collection and sharing of data on short-term rentals applies from 20 May 2026. According to the European Commission's page, it does not cover hotels and similar accommodation. Whether and how it affects your property, check in the official text or with the relevant institution.

Your own website as a complement

ISKA Website shows the rooms with photos and a “from” price (optional), the services and the gallery, and has an enquiry form. An enquiry is not a reservation and does not hold a room: your team replies and confirms. The website is not an online reservation system and does not accept payment. It is the place where a guest who has already found you elsewhere can see the property as you present it.