Costa del Sol accommodation providers win back national tourists in July
The latest INE data shows a 0.5% increase in stays by Spanish residents, but the 1.5% decrease in foreigner holidaymakers has resulted in a negative balance
The forecast that tourism activity in the Costa del Sol's accommodation (excluding tourist housing) this July would not exceed the numbers recorded in the same month last year has been confirmed by Spain's national institute of statistics (INE). What was not expected is the recovery of national tourism for the first time this year.
To the surprise of many tourism professionals, a Turismo Costa del Sol July report, based on the INE data, has revealed that overnight stays in all accommodation types - hotels, tourist flats, campsites and rural houses - have dropped by 0.9% despite the 0.5% increase in bookings by residents in Spain. The 1.5% fall in international tourists is what has contributed to the negative balance in July.
Nevertheless, Malaga province's accommodation has received more visitors, specifically 2.4%. This increase was also driven by the rise in Spanish tourists, who increased by 4.6%. In this case, foreign tourists also responded with a growth of 0.9%.
Hotels and the inland offer are the ones that have recorded the best performance. They achieved positive results in terms of guest numbers and stays, both Spanish residents and foreigners. However, the average occupancy rate dropped by 0.1%.
Protagonists
The pull of rural tourism in July has been outstanding, with an increase of 67% in guests and 39.3% in overnight stays. This is a segment in which the domestic market has seen a 155% increase in bookings made by Spaniards - a boost that contrasts with the 14% increase in stays by international tourists. Overall, campsites and tourist flats figures in the red, despite a slight rise of 0.1% in Spanish visitors.
Analysing the evolution of the province's tourist accommodation in the first seven months, the figures reveal that the number of holidaymakers and overnight stays have fallen by 2.3% and 2.1%, respectively. The statistics confirm that the rise in Spanish tourism was the headline in July, especially given that the number of national travellers and their overnight stays had dropped by 7.2% and 8% in the first seven months of the year, respectively. A period in which international tourism in Malaga province's accommodation offers has stagnated.
