More Tourists, but Overnight Stays Almost Flat: Macedonia in the First Seven Months of 2026
From January to July tourists rose 1.5% while overnight stays grew only 0.5%; domestic stays fell 1% and foreign stays rose 2%.
In January–July 2026 the number of tourists in Macedonia rose 1.5 percent (domestic +1.8 percent, foreign +1.3 percent) and overnight stays 0.5 percent, according to the State Statistical Office. Domestic stays fell 1.0 percent while foreign stays rose 2.0 percent. In July the country had 223,711 tourists (96,293 domestic and 127,418 foreign) and 795,083 overnight stays.
The first quarter looked stronger: 175,518 tourists (+5.2 percent), of whom 124,891 foreign (+6.9 percent), but overnight stays were 332,868 (−0.3 percent). When cumulative growth from January to July is only 1.5 percent while the first three months show 5.2 percent, it is clear that growth slowed in the following months. The most numerous guests in March came from Germany (9,645), Turkey (9,090), France (4,945) and Serbia (3,955).
What this means: more guests, but not longer stays. The sector expected growth in foreign arrivals to continue through the summer, especially in Ohrid, Struga, Skopje, Mavrovo and Dojran; the figures through July do not confirm a big jump.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 13, 2026
