Spain tourism grows 3.5% as costs hit firms

Spain’s tourism sector grows 3.5% this summer compared with last year, but a 7% rise in costs holds back businesses’ results. Tourism group Exceltur presents the figures in Madrid on Tuesday, 6 October. Spain’s sun-and-beach regions keep growing too, though more slowly; the report gives no separate figure for Mallorca.

More spending, higher costs

Foreign visitors remain the main driver of demand. Their spending rises 9.2%, while their numbers increase 6.4%. People from Spain also spend 4.8% more on holidays in their own country.

Exceltur says events including the 12 August eclipse help explain the stronger-than-expected summer. But higher oil and energy costs are among the pressures on firms. The sector creates more than 105,000 jobs over the summer, even as the growth fails to carry through to company results.

Beach regions grow more slowly

Spain’s sun-and-beach regions see less growth than other parts of the country, with occupancy already high. For Mallorca, the report offers no island-level figures to show how its businesses fared.

Exceltur keeps its forecast for 2026 unchanged: it expects Spain’s tourism sector to grow 2.7% and contribute almost 227,000 million euros to the country’s economy.

Topics: Housing · Tourism · Economy

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com