Portugal recorded one of the highest growth rates in the European Union (EU) for the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments last year.

The number of tourism nights in Portugal grew 7.1 percent in year-on-year terms in 2014, according to a press release by the EU statistical office Eurostat.

Only Latvia (+11.1%) and Belgium (+7.2%) recorded higher growth rates.

In 2014, the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the EU is forecast to have reached a new peak of around 2.7 billion nights, up by 1.7 percent compared with 2013, the Eurostat said.

Portugal is estimated to have recorded 53.4 million tourism nights, with non-residents accounting for 65 percent of the total.

In absolute figures, Portugal was ranked 10th among the 28 EU member-states by number of tourism nights in 2014 – the ranking excluded the United Kingdom.