In May 2026, Basel recorded 76,386 arrivals and 137,595 overnight stays. Compared to the same month in 2025, arrivals increased by approximately 7 percent, while overnight stays decreased by about 9 percent. This suggests that while more visitors came to Basel, they stayed for shorter periods. The average stay duration fell from 2.1 nights in May 2025 to 1.8 nights in May 2026, returning to the level seen in 2023 and 2024.

Hotel occupancy rates reflected this shift. The number of occupied rooms was 90,954, down from 103,291 in May 2025, a decline of roughly 12 percent. The number of available rooms also decreased slightly, from 146,878 to 140,406. The resulting occupancy rate for May 2026 was about 65 percent, compared to approximately 70 percent in May 2025. This indicates lower overall hotel usage despite higher visitor numbers.

The data for overnight stays by hotel category and top countries of origin were not provided, so no analysis can be made on those aspects. The overall trend for May 2026 shows a recovery in visitor numbers compared to the previous year, but with a notable drop in the length of stay and room occupancy, pointing to a shift toward shorter, potentially more day-trip oriented tourism.