In July, 223,711 tourists stayed in Macedonia, generating 795,083 overnight stays. Compared with July last year, when 209,932 tourists and 770,733 overnight stays were recorded, the number of guests is up by around 6.6 percent and overnight stays by 3.2 percent.

That is good news, but not the most interesting figure in the July statistics. The most interesting one is who is actually holding up the season.

According to the shares published by the State Statistical Office, domestic tourists make up 43 percent of all guests but generate as much as 67.2 percent of all overnight stays. Calculated from those shares, that is roughly 96,200 domestic and around 127,500 foreign guests, with domestic visitors accounting for about 534,300 overnight stays against approximately 260,800 for foreign ones.

Five nights against two

With those numbers, a domestic tourist in July stayed on average about 5.6 nights. The average stay of a foreign guest was a little over two nights.

That is the difference that explains the whole picture. Foreigners are more numerous, but they pass by us. Domestic visitors are fewer, but they stay. And they are the ones filling the accommodation capacity through the weeks of July.

But there is movement here too. In July last year domestic visitors made up 42.1 percent of tourists and 69.2 percent of overnight stays. This year their share among tourists rose to 43 percent, while their share of overnight stays fell to 67.2. In other words - more domestic tourists, but a shorter stay: from about six to about 5.6 nights.

Turkey still leads, but is not growing

The biggest foreign market remains Turkey - 50,955 tourists in July, roughly two out of every five foreign guests. Then come Serbia with 13,074, Germany with 5,393 and Romania with 5,090.

But behind that first place hides a decline. In July 2025, 55,129 tourists arrived from Turkey, meaning this year the number is down by around 7.6 percent. Serbia, by contrast, jumped from 9,898 to 13,074, or by around 32 percent.

So this year's growth in foreign tourism is not coming from the largest market, but from alongside it. That is a figure worth taking into account before the next promotional campaign.

What the numbers do not say

There is something these data do not cover. The Agency for the Promotion and Support of Tourism describes the Turkish market as one of the most significant and notes that these guests often travel in organised groups, visiting Ohrid, Skopje, Bitola, Debar, Tetovo and Gostivar. But the Statistical Office's July release does not show how much of those 50,955 were organised groups, how many were transit visitors, or exactly how many overnight stays they generated.

So the fact that domestic guests generate two thirds of overnight stays does not automatically mean they bring in two thirds of tourism revenue. Such an assessment would need data on average spending, accommodation category and hospitality costs - and those have not been published.

One thing is clear, though. The first half of the year was in the red: tourists down 0.5 percent, overnight stays down 1.5 percent on last year. After a strong July, the seven-month balance has flipped - tourists are up 1.5 percent and overnight stays 0.5 percent. One month was enough to change the picture of an entire half-year.