European short-term rental demand stays resilient through summer and accelerates into September

PriceLabs data shows booked nights growing across much of Europe in summer 2026, with particularly strong year-over-year growth in the Nordic countries and a notable acceleration in September across both Northern and Southern Europe.

Summer 2026 brought periods of extreme heat across Europe, raising questions about whether travellers would change where or when they travelled.

PriceLabs booking data suggests that short-term rental demand remained resilient across many of the European markets analysed.

Booked nights in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden grew by double digits year over year in every month from June through September. Italy and France also continued to record year-over-year growth through the summer, while Spain saw booked nights decline in June and July before returning to growth in August.

The most notable pattern, however, appears in September.

All seven countries analysed recorded positive year-over-year growth in booked nights for September, ranging from +14.1% in Sweden to +46.8% in Finland. Italy reached +28.9%, France +15.2%, and Spain +18.0%.

While this data alone cannot tell us why travellers are choosing particular destinations or travel dates, it does suggest that demand has not simply disappeared during a summer marked by high temperatures. Instead, the booking picture varies considerably by market and becomes notably stronger heading into September.

Key findings from the data

Across the seven European countries analysed:

• Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden recorded double-digit year-over-year booked night growth in every month from June through September.
• Italy grew between 9.2% and 11.4% from June through August before accelerating to +28.9% for September.
• France remained positive throughout the period, with growth rising to +15.2% in September.
• Spain was the only country analysed to record year-over-year declines, falling 4.4% in June and 4.6% in July, before moving back into positive territory in August and reaching +18.0% for September.
• September shows stronger growth than August in six of the seven countries analysed.

Northern Europe records consistent summer growth

The Nordic markets stand out for the consistency of their year-over-year growth.

Denmark recorded the strongest growth among the four Nordic countries at the start of the period, with booked nights up 23.8% in June. Growth remained above 20% throughout the summer, reaching 21.9% in July, 25.0% in August, and 35.1% in September.

Finland shows an even sharper acceleration over the four months. Booked nights were 14.8% higher than the previous year in June, followed by 19.1% growth in July and 22.6% in August. September bookings are currently 46.8% ahead of the same period last year, the highest September growth rate of any country included in the analysis.

Norway also maintained double-digit growth throughout the period. Booked nights increased 13.2% in June, 16.7% in July, and 15.6% in August, before rising to 22.7% for September.

Sweden followed a steadier pattern, with booked night growth ranging from 12.0% to 16.1% across the four months. Unlike Denmark, Finland and Norway, its September growth of 14.1% is broadly in line with its summer performance rather than showing a significant late-season acceleration.

Taken together, the four markets show that Northern European short-term rental demand was already growing strongly from the beginning of summer. The September numbers therefore look less like the start of a new trend and more like a continuation, and in several cases an acceleration, of growth already visible earlier in the season.

Italy continues growing through the hottest months

Southern Europe presents a more mixed picture, but the data does not show a broad collapse in short-term rental demand.

Across Italy, booked nights increased 9.2% year over year in June, followed by 11.4% in July and 11.2% in August.

Some southern regions also recorded particularly strong growth during the summer. Calabria saw booked nights increase by 20% year over year in July, while Basilicata recorded 18% growth in the same month.

September currently shows an even larger increase nationally, with booked nights across Italy 28.9% higher than the same period last year.

That makes September's year-over-year growth more than twice the rate recorded in any of the preceding three months included in this analysis.

Rather than demand simply shifting away from Southern Europe during the summer, the Italian data shows continued growth throughout June, July and August, followed by a much stronger increase heading into September.

France sees moderate summer growth followed by a stronger September

France followed a similar pattern, although at more moderate growth levels.

Booked nights increased 4.1% year over year in June, 7.0% in July, and 5.6% in August.

September bookings are currently 15.2% higher than the same period last year, representing a clear acceleration compared with each of the three preceding months.

The French data therefore shows positive growth throughout the period analysed, rather than a contraction during the peak summer months.

Spain moves from declines to double-digit September growth

Spain shows the clearest change in direction across the four months.

Nationally, booked nights were 4.4% lower year over year in June and 4.6% lower in July. August then moved marginally into positive territory at +0.7%.

By September, booked nights are 18.0% higher than the same period last year.

The shift is also visible within individual destinations.

Murcia, which had experienced declines of more than 20% earlier in the summer, is currently showing 20.9% year-over-year booked night growth for September.

The Canary Islands also experienced declines of as much as 12.4% earlier in the period but are currently showing 9.6% growth for September.

One important piece of context when looking at Spain is supply. Short-term rental supply is down around 10% following the introduction of the Registro Único. Changes in booked nights should therefore be considered alongside changes in the number of properties available for short-term rental.

The PriceLabs data does not tell us how much of Spain's year-over-year movement is attributable to supply, traveller behaviour, accommodation choices, or other factors. What it does show clearly is that the negative growth recorded in June and July did not continue through the remainder of the period.

September stands out across Europe

Looking across all seven countries makes the September pattern particularly visible.

September has the highest growth rate of the four months analysed in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Italy, France and Spain. Sweden is the exception, although its September bookings are still 14.1% higher year over year.

The acceleration is also not confined to one part of Europe. Finland and Denmark are seeing some of the strongest growth, but Italy and Spain are also recording substantial increases.

That makes the data more nuanced than a straightforward story of travellers moving from Southern to Northern Europe. Northern European destinations had a particularly strong summer, but several major Southern European markets continued growing too, while Spain recovered from its early-summer decline.

What is common across almost all of the markets analysed is stronger demand heading into September.

What does this mean for European travel demand?

There are several ways travellers may be changing their behaviour, including destination choice and the timing of their trips. Booking data alone, however, cannot establish which of these factors is responsible for the changes seen this summer.

What the numbers allow us to say is simpler.

Demand for short-term rentals remained resilient across most of the European markets analysed during summer 2026, and year-over-year booked night growth is particularly strong heading into September.

Northern European countries recorded sustained double-digit increases throughout the summer, while Italy and France remained in positive territory despite periods of extreme heat. Spain experienced a weaker start to the season, but its booked night numbers improved substantially by August and September.

For accommodation operators, destination marketers and others tracking European travel demand, September may therefore be increasingly important to watch alongside the traditional June-to-August summer period.

As booking patterns continue to evolve, looking at individual markets rather than treating Northern and Southern Europe as two uniform groups will also be important. Even within countries, destinations can behave very differently from national averages.

About the data

This analysis uses publicly available data collected by PriceLabs to compare year-over-year growth in booked nights for short-term rentals in 2026 against the corresponding months in 2025.

The analysis covers Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Italy, France, and Spain, with additional regional examples from Calabria, Basilicata, Murcia, and the Canary Islands.