Sydney, Australia – Hotel bookings for the 2026 Easter holiday have risen by an average of 12% across six key European markets compared to last year’s Easter period, according to new data from SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel guest acquisition and revenue platform.
SiteMinder’s analysis focuses on six of Europe’s most Easter-centric travel markets: Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, which traditionally see a large share of local and regional travel concentrated around the holiday period. The platform’s data shows that room nights booked across these markets are up 18.3% year-on-year, with travellers booking closer to arrival, staying longer and cancelling less.
Southern Europe leads growth, with France, Spain and Italy out in front
Southern European destinations are driving much of this year’s increase. France, Spain and Italy are all recording double-digit growth in bookings, with stays in each market also running longer than last year.
France has recorded a 19.5% increase in Easter bookings and a 16.4% rise in average length of stay, up to 2.2 days on average. Spain has seen bookings grow by 17.69%, with stays up to 2.43 days on average (+2.53%), while Italy has bookings up 17.06% and stays 6.21%, reaching 1.88 days on average.
Elsewhere in Europe, Germany shows more moderate growth, with bookings up 5.22%. The UK remains broadly stable year-on-year, with volumes holding but average stay lengths edging longer.
Fewer cancellations and a shorter booking window
Travellers are also changing how they book. Across the six markets, the average booking window has shortened from 71.3 days to 66 days, a 7.09% decline measured 17 days prior to the Easter weekend in both years. Later bookings are proving more committed, however, with cancellation volumes falling by 4.84% on average.
Muted rate movement across a compressed trading period
The average daily rate (ADR) across the six markets is steady, edging down by just 0.06% on average, though this masks differing strategies by country. Italy has secured rates 5.2% higher year-on-year, while Spain has achieved a modest 1.6% increase. Germany (-2.7%), Portugal (-2.5%) and the UK (-1.3%) have each eased prices, pointing to a continued focus on competitiveness and volume in those markets.
Commenting on the findings, James Bishop, VP of Ecosystem and Strategic Partnerships at SiteMinder, said: “Even though this Easter falls earlier in the calendar, travellers are still prioritising time away, especially in Southern Europe’s traditionally Easter-centric destinations. This is playing out in a more unsettled global environment, where travellers are booking with less advance notice and adjusting their plans on the move, yet that uncertainty appears to be fuelling their desire to travel rather than holding them back, which aligns with what we highlighted in our latest Changing Traveller Report.
“For hoteliers across Europe, strong booking intent and fewer cancellations are encouraging signals. With travellers leaving decisions later, however, staying visible to both domestic and international guests and continuously optimising pricing has never been more important.”
About the data
SiteMinder’s analysis is based on aggregated and anonymised data from hotels using its platform across Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, comparing Easter 2025 (17-21 April) and Easter 2026 (2-6 April) performance of the same properties across more than 500,000 bookings and measured 17 days before each period.
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About SiteMinder
SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the name behind SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel guest acquisition and revenue platform, and Little Hotelier, the all-in-one property management system built to simplify operations and grow bookings for small accommodation providers. The global company is headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London, Manila, Mexico City and Pune. Through its technology and the largest partner ecosystem in the global hotel industry, SiteMinder generates more than 135 million reservations worth over US$60 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year. For more information, visit siteminder.com.