Demand for short-term housing rentals in the EU through online platforms continued to grow in early 2026. From January through March, guests spent 144.3 million nights in short-term accommodations booked through Airbnb, Booking, or Expedia. This is 9.7% more than in the first quarter of 2025 and 16.6% higher than in the first quarter of 2024, Eurostat reported on July 2.
Malta showed the fastest growth—up 30.5% year-over-year. It was followed by Slovenia—up 24.7%, Slovakia—up 23.5%, and Cyprus—up 22.3%. Double-digit growth was also recorded in Finland, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Croatia, Greece, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Among the EU’s largest tourism markets, all seven of the most-visited countries also showed growth. Germany saw a 14.9% increase, Italy 14.7%, Poland 11.9%, France 8.1%, Spain 6.5%, Portugal 4.9%, and Austria 4%. This means that the market is growing not only in small countries with a low baseline but also in major tourism economies.
Eurostat clarifies that these figures specifically refer to guest nights in short-term accommodations booked through platforms, rather than hotels and campgrounds. For example, if a family of four stays in an apartment for three nights, this counts as 12 guest nights. The data is published as experimental statistics and is based on information that the platforms report directly to Eurostat.
Regional statistics are published with a delay. According to data for the fourth quarter of 2025, the most popular regions for short-term rentals through these platforms were Andalusia in Spain—9.9 million nights, the Canary Islands—8.2 million, and Île-de-France in France—7.2 million. Only regions from three countries—Spain, France, and Italy—made it into the top ten.
For investors, these statistics mean that focusing solely on overall market growth is no longer sufficient. It is necessary to take into account the specific country, city, seasonality, local restrictions on Airbnb and Booking, taxes, registration rules, and competition from hotels. In Europe, short-term rentals continue to grow, but are becoming an increasingly regulated and professional business.
According to Serbian Economist, Albania is stepping up tax oversight of the short-term rental market, which has become one of the country’s fastest-growing segments of the tourism real estate sector in recent years. The tax administration has launched a sectoral plan for the tourism sector through 2026, under which the activity of property owners on Airbnb, Booking.com, and other platforms will be cross-checked against tax returns.
In essence, Albania is becoming one of the first countries in Europe to transition tax oversight of short-term rentals via digital platforms to an automated format using artificial intelligence. This makes the country a regional test case for stricter control over revenue from tourism real estate.
The main tool of the new control system will be an AI-based automated monitoring system. Algorithms will scan the Albanian segments of Airbnb and Booking on a weekly basis, analyzing nightly rates, price trends, actual occupancy rates, booking calendars, as well as the number and dates of guest reviews.
Private homeowners renting out one or more apartments through Airbnb and Booking are not required to register as sole proprietors, but must file an annual individual DIVA tax return and pay income tax at a rate of 15%. The tax is calculated on net income after deducting the platform’s commission. Separate clarifications regarding new obligations for short-term rentals starting in 2026 also highlight the use of DIVA as a digital system for reporting individual income.
The authorities are paying special attention to VAT. In Albania’s tourism sector, a reduced rate of 6% applies instead of the standard 20%, but it may only be applied by properties that have passed a physical inspection and received an official classification certificate from the Ministry of Tourism. If an owner applies the 6% rate without such a certificate, the tax authority may retroactively assess VAT at the full 20% rate, along with fines and penalties.
Another requirement concerns cashless payments. By May 30, 2026, all accommodation facilities in Albania, including hotels, hostels, campgrounds, and certified guesthouses, must install physical POS terminals to accept payments. At the same time, the limit on cash transactions between commercial entities has been reduced from 150,000 to 100,000 lek.
For the real estate market, this marks the end of a period of lax oversight of income from short-term rentals. In recent years, Albania has experienced an investment boom in resort real estate, particularly along the coast, where buyers have relied on income from tourist rentals.
But now, the profitability of such properties will increasingly depend not only on occupancy and price, but also on the owner’s tax compliance.
For foreign investors, the new rules mean they must consider the property’s tax model in advance.
The Albanian model reflects a broader trend in the region. Montenegro is also tightening control over payments and taxes in the real estate and tourism sectors, but Albania is taking the next step—using digital monitoring and AI to compare actual activity on platforms with tax reporting.
Booking.com has announced the results of its 14th Traveller Review Awards 2026 and published a list of the most hospitable destinations for 2026, based on the proportion of accommodation partners that received an award in a particular city or region.
According to the company, 1.81 million partners in 221 countries and territories will receive the award in 2026, with calculations based on more than 370 million verified traveler reviews.
The top 10 most hospitable cities in the world include: Montepulciano (Italy), Magong (Taiwan), San Martin de los Andes (Argentina), Harrogate (United Kingdom), Fredericksburg (Texas, USA), Pirenopolis (Brazil), Swakopmund (Namibia), Takayama (Japan), Noosa Heads (Australia), and Klaipeda (Lithuania).
The top 10 most hospitable regions, according to Booking.com, are Hidalgo (Mexico), Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada), Navarra (Spain), Idaho (USA), Himachal Pradesh (India), Saxony (Germany), Phang Nga (Thailand), Overijssel (Netherlands), Epirus (Greece), and Chiriqui (Panama).
Booking.com specifies that destinations were ranked according to the share of award-winning accommodations relative to the number of “evaluable” accommodations in a city or region. To make the list, a destination needed to have at least 200 award-winning partners and an “above-average” share of winners, with geographical representation also taken into account.
The Traveller Review Awards winners themselves were determined by the average score of reviews published between December 1, 2022, and November 30, 2025, with the final score calculated on December 1, 2025.
The Greek tax authority AADE is tightening control over short-term rentals through Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo: owners and managers of properties must verify and finalize their 2025 income data in the short-term accommodation registry by February 28, 2026, including the distribution of income among beneficiaries, amounts, and the correctness of the property registration number (AMA).
According to AADE, 2.2 million initial declarations were submitted for 2025, and the total declared income amounted to EUR 870 million (+16% y/y). At the same time, tax authorities warn that if the data is not confirmed and corrected on time, it is possible that tax will be levied on 100% of the income specified in previous declarations, even if part of the amounts was not actually received (for example, due to cancellation of reservations).
From the beginning of March 2026, AADE will launch cross-checks based on data provided directly by the platforms. If unregistered properties or properties without AMA in the listings are found, sanctions will be imposed: fines ranging from EUR 5,000 to EUR 20,000, as well as removal of listings from platforms until the violations are rectified.
Against the backdrop of the segment’s growth, the authorities are tightening requirements for correct registration and compliance with the rules for maintaining a presence in the register.
The developer Alliance Novobud opens a new stage in the history of the legendary Lesniy Kvartal residential complex – the first applications for the purchase of apartments in the final building have been accepted.
Construction work is already underway: the pile field has been completed, 100% of the bored-injection piles have been installed, the concreting of the foundation slab of section No. 2.2 has been completed, and work is underway to reinforce and concrete the basement walls. At the same time, the foundation slab of section No. 1 is being prepared for installation and two tower cranes have already been installed.
The final building of the Lesniy Kvartal residential complex in Brovary consists of 3 sections with variable number of storeys, 567 apartments with well-thought-out and comfortable layouts, a private adjoining territory with two ground parking lots, a playground and designer landscaping.
Don’t miss the opportunity to become a part of the legendary “Forest Quarter” in the heart of Brovary – book the best units at prices that will not be available anymore! Moreover, every current customer can become a member of a special referral program. For all the details, please contact the sales office: 8A, V. Chornovil str., Brovary, tel. +38 (044) 344-08-23.
The world’s largest European budget carrier Ryanair has canceled all flights to and from Ukraine, in particular, from the airports of Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa, for an unlimited period, this follows from the information in its booking system.
According to one of the correspondents of Interfax-Ukraine, the company, in particular, sent him messages about the cancellation of an already paid flight for August 29, 2022.
The day after Russia launched a war against Ukraine on February 24 and closed the country’s airspace, Ryanair announced that it had suspended and withdrawn from sale flights to/from Ukraine until the end of March, pending further information from EU security authorities.
As of the morning of March 2, flights to and from Ukraine were still in the booking system for dates after March 27.
Earlier in February, before the start of the war, Ryanair removed all flights to Kharkiv and Kherson from sale.
Ryanair’s main competitor among low-cost carriers in Ukraine, Wizz Air, is still selling tickets to and from the country for the period after March 27.
