Brussels, 22/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - According to 2 reports published by Eurostat on Friday 19 November, the seasons have a major influence on the number of nights spent in hotels or other collective tourism establishments in the EU. As would be expected, the high season corresponds to the third quarter of the year, accounting for 43% of the 2.2 billion nights spent in the EU in 2009. The second quarter comes next with 26% of nights, with the first quarter (15%) and the fourth quarter (16%) being considered as the low season. The reports of the Statistical Office of the EU also show that people who live in the northern countries of the EU mostly holiday in July, whilst those in the South prefer August. In 2009, the month of August represented from 11% of tourist nights in Finland to 23% in France. The two Eurostat reports come in the wake of the communication by the European commission entitled “Europe, the world's number one tourist destination - a new political framework for tourism in the EU”, which was published in June and aims to promote an extension of the tourist season. In the view of the Commission, a more balanced distribution of tourist demand throughout the year would make better use of the existing infrastructure and staff working in the tourism sector during the low season. (O.L./transl.fl)