An overview of which member states of the European Union receive the fewest tourists, how this is measured, why these countries rank low, and the debates around the statistics.
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| Usually lowest by tourist nights | Luxembourg (about 3.4 million nights per year, approximate) |
|---|---|
| Usually second lowest | Latvia (about 4.3 million nights per year, approximate) |
| Other states often near the bottom | Estonia, Lithuania and, on some measures, Slovakia |
| Main statistical sources | Eurostat (EU statistics office) and UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) |
| EU legal basis for tourism statistics | Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 |
| Number of member states | 27 (since the United Kingdom left in 2020) |
| Most visited member states, for contrast | France, Spain and Italy |
| Key caution | Rankings change depending on whether arrivals, nights or visitors per resident are counted |
The least visited countries in the European Union are the member states that receive the smallest amount of tourism. The amount is usually measured either as the number of nights tourists spend in accommodation or as the number of international tourists who arrive and stay overnight. On most common measures, Luxembourg is the least visited of the 27 member states. Latvia is usually a close second. The other Baltic states, Estonia and Lithuania, are also often near the bottom of the rankings.
"Least visited" is not a single, fixed fact. The answer depends on what is counted: total nights or arrivals, foreign visitors only or domestic visitors as well, overnight stays or day trips, and absolute numbers or numbers relative to population. A country that ranks last in absolute terms can rank much higher when its small size is taken into account. For this reason, statisticians and tourism researchers treat lists of the "least visited" countries with caution.
This article explains how tourism in the EU is measured, which countries usually rank lowest and why, how events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine affected the figures, and the debates about what low visitor numbers mean.
Background
The European Union is one of the most visited regions in the world. France has long been described as the most visited country in the world by international arrivals, with roughly 90 million international tourist arrivals reported for 2019. Spain and Italy are also among the world's leading destinations. Across the EU as a whole, Eurostat records close to 3 billion nights spent in tourist accommodation each year in recent years. This total includes both residents travelling within their own country and visitors from abroad.
Tourism is very unevenly distributed across the Union. A small number of large Mediterranean and western European countries account for most of the activity. Smaller member states, and member states in the north-east and east of the Union, receive far less. Discussions of "overtourism" (crowding caused by too many visitors) in places such as Barcelona, Venice and Amsterdam have drawn attention to this imbalance. As a result, there has also been interest in the opposite end of the scale: the countries that receive relatively few visitors.
The EU has had 27 member states since the United Kingdom left on 31 January 2020. All rankings in this article refer to the EU-27 unless stated otherwise.
How tourism is measured
Eurostat accommodation statistics
Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union. It is based in Luxembourg. It publishes harmonised tourism statistics, meaning statistics collected under common rules so that countries can be compared. The legal basis is Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 concerning European statistics on tourism. Under this regulation, member states report data to Eurostat.
The two main Eurostat indicators are:
- Nights spent: the total number of nights that guests stay in tourist accommodation establishments. One person staying five nights counts as five nights spent.
- Arrivals: the number of guests who check in at a tourist accommodation establishment. A person who stays in two different hotels on one trip can be counted as two arrivals.
"Tourist accommodation establishments" include hotels, holiday and other short-stay accommodation, and campsites. Eurostat separates figures for residents (people who live in the country) and non-residents (people from abroad). It also publishes figures for short-term rentals booked through large online platforms, such as Airbnb and Booking.com. These are collected separately and are not always fully included in the main totals.
UN Tourism arrivals data
UN Tourism is the United Nations agency for tourism. It was called the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) until it changed its name in 2024. It publishes figures for international tourist arrivals, meaning foreign visitors who stay at least one night. Countries collect these figures in different ways. Some use border counts, and some use accommodation records or surveys. This makes exact comparisons between countries harder.
Tourism intensity
A third approach is tourism intensity, usually expressed as the number of tourist nights per resident of the country. This measure shows how large tourism is relative to the size of the population. On this measure, small states that rank low in absolute numbers can rank high, and large states with big absolute numbers can rank low.
What is usually not counted
- Day visitors (excursionists): people who visit and leave on the same day without staying overnight.
- Stays with friends and relatives and stays in private, unregistered accommodation.
- Cross-border commuters: people who live in one country and work in another. They are not tourists, although they cross the border every day.
- In some countries, very small accommodation establishments below a reporting threshold.
These exclusions matter a great deal for some of the countries that rank lowest, as explained below.
The countries that usually rank lowest
The table below summarises the member states that are most often found at or near the bottom of EU tourism rankings, and the main reasons given. Exact positions change from year to year and depend on the indicator used.
| Country | Typical position (absolute numbers) | Main reasons commonly given |
|---|---|---|
| Luxembourg | Lowest by tourist nights | Very small territory and population; many short business trips and day visits; visitors often stay in neighbouring countries |
| Latvia | Usually second lowest | Small population; distance from western European markets; short tourist season; loss of Russian and Belarusian visitors after 2022 |
| Estonia | Near the bottom | Small population; many Finnish visitors come on day trips that are not counted as overnight stays |
| Lithuania | Near the bottom | Small population; lower international profile than other destinations; regional security concerns after 2022 |
| Slovakia | Low on some measures | Many visitors come on day trips, especially to Bratislava from Vienna; competition from neighbouring destinations |
According to figures cited from Eurostat data, Luxembourg records roughly 3.4 million nights spent in tourist accommodation per year and Latvia roughly 4.3 million. These are approximate values and vary from year to year. For comparison, the largest destinations, such as Spain, France, Italy and Germany, each record several hundred million nights per year.
By international arrivals as reported to UN Tourism, Luxembourg and Latvia are both usually reported at between about 1 and 2 million overnight foreign visitors per year. The exact figures depend on the year and on the method each country uses.
Luxembourg
Overview
Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Communities. It is the second smallest EU member state by area, after Malta, with an area of about 2,586 square kilometres. Its population is about 670,000. It borders Belgium, France and Germany.
Why it ranks lowest
The most important reason is size. A country with a small territory and a small population has less accommodation and fewer places for tourists to stay overnight. Visitors can see much of the country in a short time, and many do so on day trips from neighbouring Belgium, France, Germany or the Netherlands. Day trips are not counted in accommodation statistics.
Luxembourg is also an international financial centre and a seat of several EU institutions. These include the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Investment Bank and Eurostat itself. A large share of its visitors therefore travel for business and often stay only one or two nights.
Luxembourg has a very large number of cross-border commuters. More than 200,000 people are reported to live in Belgium, France or Germany and cross the border to work in Luxembourg each day. They make up a large share of the country's workforce. These people cross the border constantly, but they are not tourists and do not appear in tourism statistics. The high level of everyday traffic can give a misleading impression of how many visitors the country receives.
Tourist attractions
Luxembourg does have a tourism industry. The old quarters and fortifications of Luxembourg City were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Other attractions include the Mullerthal region, known for its rock formations and walking trails, the castles of the Ardennes area in the north (such as Vianden), and the wine-growing Moselle valley in the east. Camping is a significant part of the country's tourism. In 2020 Luxembourg became the first country to make all public transport free nationwide, which also applies to visitors.
Latvia
Overview
Latvia is one of the three Baltic states. It joined the EU in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2014. Its population is about 1.9 million and has been falling for several decades because of emigration and low birth rates.
Why it ranks low
Reasons commonly given for Latvia's low position include:
- Small population, which limits domestic tourism. Domestic travel makes up a large share of tourist nights in many larger EU countries.
- Distance from the main source markets in western Europe, and a climate that limits the beach season to a few summer months.
- Lower international recognition compared with Mediterranean or central European destinations.
- Changes after 2022: before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, visitors from Russia were a significant market for Latvia. Travel restrictions, sanctions and the end of direct transport links sharply reduced the number of Russian and Belarusian visitors.
Tourist attractions
The historic centre of Riga, the capital, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. It is known for its medieval old town and for one of the largest collections of Art Nouveau architecture in Europe. The resort town of Jลซrmala, on the Gulf of Riga, has long sandy beaches and historic wooden villas. Riga's airport is the base of the airline airBaltic, which connects the Baltic region with many European cities.
Estonia and Lithuania
Estonia
Estonia joined the EU in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2011. It has a population of about 1.3 to 1.4 million. Tallinn's old town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Estonia's position in the rankings is strongly affected by day trips. Tallinn is about two hours by ferry from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Large numbers of Finnish visitors cross the Gulf of Finland for shopping, leisure and cultural visits and return the same day. These visits are significant for the Estonian economy but do not count as tourist nights. Estonia, like Latvia, also lost many Russian visitors after 2022.
Lithuania
Lithuania joined the EU in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2015. It has a population of about 2.8 to 2.9 million, the largest of the three Baltic states. The old town of Vilnius was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The Curonian Spit, a narrow strip of sand dunes on the Baltic coast shared with Russia's Kaliningrad region, was listed in 2000.
Lithuania usually records more tourist nights than Latvia or Luxembourg but still ranks among the lower member states. Tourism promoters have pointed to the country's low international profile as a challenge.
Other low-ranking and small member states
Slovakia
Slovakia's capital, Bratislava, is only about 60 kilometres from Vienna. Many visitors come on day trips from Austria and do not stay overnight. Slovakia's main overnight destinations include the High Tatras mountains, which are popular for hiking and skiing, and its spa towns. Its total tourist nights are higher than those of the Baltic states and Luxembourg, but it ranks low relative to its population on some measures.
Romania and Bulgaria
Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU on 1 January 2007. Both are large in area compared with the Baltic states, so their absolute tourist numbers are higher. However, Romania in particular has often been reported as having one of the lowest levels of tourism intensity in the EU, meaning few tourist nights per resident. Both countries joined the Schengen Area (the zone of travel without border controls) for air and sea travel in March 2024 and fully, including land borders, from 1 January 2025. Some observers expected this to make travel to both countries easier, but its long-term effect on tourism is not yet clear.
Malta and Cyprus: small but heavily visited
Malta and Cyprus show why size alone does not explain low visitor numbers. Malta is the smallest EU member state by area and Cyprus is also small, yet both receive millions of international tourists each year. Both have sunny Mediterranean climates, beaches, and strong historical links with the United Kingdom, an important source market. On tourism intensity, Malta and Cyprus are among the most visited member states in the EU, along with Croatia and Austria.
Absolute numbers versus tourism intensity
The choice of measure changes the picture considerably.
- Absolute numbers favour large countries. France, Spain, Italy and Germany have large populations that travel within their own countries, as well as many foreign visitors. Small countries such as Luxembourg and Latvia cannot match these totals.
- Tourism intensity favours small, popular destinations. Croatia, Malta, Cyprus and Austria record many tourist nights per resident. Some large countries with relatively modest tourism sectors, such as Romania and Poland, have been reported at the lower end of this measure.
- International arrivals only removes domestic tourism. This tends to lower the position of large countries with strong domestic travel, such as Germany, and raise the position of small countries that depend on foreign visitors.
Luxembourg is an example of a country whose position changes. It ranks last in absolute tourist nights, but because its population is very small, its tourist nights per resident are not among the lowest in the EU.
Effects of major events
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the largest fall in tourism in modern European history. In 2020, travel restrictions, border closures and lockdowns led to a collapse in tourist nights across the EU. Eurostat reported that nights spent in EU tourist accommodation fell by around half compared with 2019. Countries that depend on international air travel and foreign visitors were hit especially hard. Recovery took place gradually in 2021 and 2022. By 2023, total EU tourist nights had returned to or slightly exceeded the 2019 level, although recovery was uneven between countries.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 affected tourism in the member states closest to Russia and Belarus. The EU closed its airspace to Russian aircraft, and several member states, including the Baltic states, restricted the entry of Russian citizens with tourist visas. This removed a source market that had been important for Latvia and Estonia in particular. Some potential visitors from other countries also became more cautious about travelling to the region because of perceived security risks, although the Baltic states themselves were not involved in the fighting.
Causes of low visitor numbers
Researchers and tourism bodies generally point to a combination of factors:
- Size and population. Small countries have less accommodation, smaller domestic tourism markets and fewer distinct destinations.
- Climate. The largest flows of leisure tourism in Europe go to warm coastal destinations in summer. Northern countries with short summers are at a disadvantage for beach holidays.
- Geography and transport. Countries far from the main source markets of western Europe, or with fewer direct flights, tend to receive fewer visitors.
- Awareness and image. Countries that joined the EU more recently, or that were previously part of the Soviet Union, have often been less known among travellers from outside the region.
- Day-trip patterns. Countries close to larger neighbours, such as Luxembourg, Estonia and Slovakia, receive many visitors who do not stay overnight.
- Political and security events. Changes in relations with neighbouring states, such as Russia after 2022, can quickly change visitor numbers.
Debates and open questions
Is "least visited" a meaningful label?
Critics argue that ranking countries as "least visited" by absolute numbers mostly reflects their size. A ranking based on raw totals will almost always place the smallest countries at the bottom. Some analysts therefore prefer measures that take population or area into account, or that compare tourism with each country's economy.
Data quality
Tourism statistics have known gaps. Short-term rentals arranged through online platforms have grown rapidly, and not all of them are recorded in official accommodation statistics. Eurostat began publishing separate data on platform-based short-term rentals to address this, but combining the two data sets is not straightforward. Differences between countries in reporting thresholds and collection methods also make exact rankings uncertain, especially when the gaps between countries are small, as between Luxembourg and Latvia.
Low tourism as an advantage
Low visitor numbers are not necessarily seen as a problem. Some tourism organisations and travel writers present less visited countries as quieter, less crowded or more "authentic" alternatives to destinations affected by overtourism. Others point out that heavy tourism can raise housing costs, increase pressure on infrastructure and change the character of historic city centres. Less visited countries can therefore try to grow tourism in a controlled and sustainable way, learning from problems elsewhere. Whether they can increase visitor numbers without creating the same problems is an open question.
Economic importance
Tourism is an important source of jobs and income in many member states. For countries with smaller tourism sectors, growth in visitor numbers can bring economic benefits, especially to regions outside the capital cities. Governments of several low-ranking member states have run campaigns to raise their international profile. The effectiveness of such campaigns is difficult to measure separately from other factors, such as new flight routes or changes in the wider economy.
Least visited countries in Europe outside the EU
In the wider continent of Europe, several countries outside the EU receive fewer visitors than any EU member state. These include very small states such as Liechtenstein and San Marino, and countries such as Moldova. Comparisons with these countries are complicated by the same measurement problems described above. Liechtenstein and San Marino, for example, receive many day visitors who stay overnight in neighbouring Switzerland, Austria or Italy.
Summary of key points
- Within the EU-27, Luxembourg is usually the least visited member state by tourist nights, with Latvia close behind.
- Estonia and Lithuania are also often near the bottom of absolute rankings.
- Rankings depend strongly on the measure used. Small countries rank low in absolute terms but can rank high relative to population.
- Day trips, cross-border commuting and unregistered accommodation are not fully captured in tourism statistics. This affects several of the lowest-ranking countries.
- The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine both had significant effects on visitor numbers, particularly in the Baltic states.
See also
- Tourism in the European Union
- Eurostat
- UN Tourism (World Tourism Organization)
- Overtourism
- Tourism in Luxembourg
- Tourism in Latvia
- Tourism in Estonia
- Tourism in Lithuania
- Schengen Area
- Member state of the European Union
- World Tourism rankings
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism
Sources
Questions people asked
What is the least visited country in the European Union?
Within the European Union, the least-visited member state is generally Luxembourg, with Latvia a very close second depending on how you count:
- By tourist nights (Eurostat): Luxembourg sits at the bottom of the EU with only ~3.4 million nights spent annually, followed by Latvia at ~4.3 million.
- By international arrivals (UN Tourism): Both hover around 1.1 to 1.5 million overnight foreign tourists per year. Luxembourg sees heavy transit and cross-border commuter traffic, but relatively few overnight vacationers.
(In the wider geographical continent of Europe, non-EU countries like Moldova, Liechtenstein, and San Marino see far fewer, but inside the EU-27 it's Luxembourg and Latvia at the bottom.)