Spain’s coastal destinations occupancy hits 95.6pc as country prepares for peak August tourism season

Coastal destinations show average occupancy of 95.6 pc with forecasts nearing 100 pc
Marbella leads at 99 pc occupancy, followed by Santander at 98 pc
Spain expects 43m international tourists between May and August, a 6 pc increase
Tourism spending forecast at €64bn, up 10 pc year-on-year
Tourism employment at record levels with over 3m workers

Spain is set for another record August tourism period with higher visitor numbers, elevated hotel rates and increased air capacity. Main sun and beach destinations are close to full, with average occupancy of 95.6 pc and forecasts nearing 100 pc, according to eBooking.com data. Marbella leads the national ranking with 99 pc of rooms already committed, while Santander (98 pc), Benidorm and Salou (both 97 pc) and Puerto de la Cruz (95 pc) follow closely.

The Ministry of Industry and Tourism anticipates 43m international tourists will visit Spain between May and August, a 6 pc increase over the same period last year, with spending forecast at a record €64bn, up 10 pc. Spain expects to reach 100m international tourists in 2026, with an accumulated spending of more than €114bn by September. Coastal municipalities, with the exception of Palma de Mallorca at 88 pc occupancy, are experiencing near-full bookings for the first weekend of August.

The government expects spending by international tourists to grow most strongly in regions traditionally less visited, with year-on-year increases of 8 pc to 10 pc, compared with 5 pc to 6 pc growth in the main destinations of Andalusia, Madrid, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Tourism employment is at record levels with more than threem workers in the sector, and seasonality in the first quarter was lower than across the economy as a whole.