Staff absenteeism cost Spanish tourism over 5.9bn euros as regional figures reveal sharp divide

Every day when an employee does not show up to work leaves business owners with their hands tied, especially at a time when finding staff is a great challenge.

The Exceltur alliance for tourism excellence has published the first report on the impact of absenteeism on the tourism industry.

The report notes that there is growing concern among business owners regarding absenteeism levels across the country as a whole, which average 7% of hours worked and bring the total cost to 2.6% of turnover, amounting to over 5.9 billion euros, 16% of the total cost of the system.

The study analyses the figures by region and places Andalucía slightly below the national average and in eighth place in the Spanish rankings. It points out that Andalusian destinations lose 6.6% of agreed hours.

The situation in the Canary Islands is worse, with 12.1% of lost hours, bringing it to the top of the list. By contrast, Asturias, Cantabria and Valencia bring up the rear, with levels of around 3%.

Exceltur identifies this issue as one of the "priorities for the industry" that is the cornerstone of the national and Andalusian economy and calls for the definitive establishment of a national strategy to reduce absenteeism.

The alliance propose streamlining the procedures for temporary incapacity, strengthening collaboration between mutual insurance companies and public health services and introducing prevention programmes and incentives to encourage attendance at work.

The study finds that this problem extends across the entire tourism value chain, highlighting its negative impact on leisure businesses and hotels, particularly those in urban areas.

Furthermore, it confirms a lower impact on businesses in coastal areas, at 2.9% compared with 3.3% in cities. The cost to the leisure sector across the country as a whole is 4%, followed by accommodation, with an impact of 3% on turnover.

"This current situation is taking place against a positive backdrop of strong job creation, with 71,045 more people registered as employees in the tourism sector in June, representing a 3.1% increase compared with the same month in 2025, exceeding the 2.8% growth in other sectors," the Exceltur report says.

Spanish holiday destinations regained momentum during the spring and the start of the summer, following a difficult period in January and February. According to the report, the conflict in the Middle East has consolidated Spain as a secure destination, while the high temperatures in many European source markets have further driven tourists to the country.

The strongest growth is along the Mediterranean coast, with notable increases on the Valencia coast, which saw a rise of 13.6%; the Costa del Sol, with a rise of 13.2%; and the Costa Dorada, with an increase of almost 13% in revenue levels.

The areas showing the least positive performance are the Costa Tropical, with a fall of almost 5%; the Costa de la Luz, down 0.6%; and Huelva, with a fall of 0.4%.

Recently, consultancy firm KPMG warned that absenteeism has become one of the main challenges to the competitiveness of the Spanish economy, stating that more than 1.6 million people are absent from work every day, with the associated economic impact amounting to more than 59 billion euros annually, equivalent to around 3.7% of GDP, according to data from Adecco.

Furthermore, the absenteeism rate currently stands at 7.2% of agreed working hours, while absenteeism linked to temporary incapacity stands at 5.6%.

Experts say that the cause of this absence from work is linked to temporary incapacity in around 78% of lost hours.

The manufacturing sector, logistics and transport, healthcare, social services and other labour-intensive activities are experiencing greater pressure, with a direct impact on productivity and operational continuity.

The tourism sector is a strategic industry for the Andalusian economy. Tourism accounts for more than 12% of the region's GDP and generates annual revenue of around 30 billion euros, with a growth rate of 8.4% in the last financial year, directly supporting more than 480,000 jobs across.

The temporary employment rate in the region is 20%. It is also one of Spain's leading destinations, raising its share of GDP to 12.9%, thanks to an increase of nearly 27.7 billion euros, according to Exceltur.

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