Costa del Sol hotels match last year's figures for overnight stays in first ten months of 2025
The main international source market, the United Kingdom, has continued to grow this year, with 13% more British holidaymakers staying in Malaga province hotels
Hotels on the Costa del Sol and throughout Malaga province have seen the same number of overnight stays in the first ten months of the year in 2025 as they did in the whole of 2024. The regular hotel industry outlook report, which is based on data from Spain's INE national statistics institute, indicates this match with last year. This slight slowdown in growth is due to a continued decline in domestic tourism, now at 6.7%, which is taking its toll despite a 2.2% increase in international bookings. Consequently, hotels have remained at the same level of 19.9 million overnight stays.
Hotels have also seen fewer travellers in the first ten months of this year. Specifically, a 1.6% decrease, following a notable drop of 8.3% in tourists from other parts of Spain, compared to a 2% increase overall.
All of this comes after October closed with positive figures for both visitor and overnight stay numbers, up by 2.7% and 3.4% respectively. Of note in these statistics is the almost complete recovery of domestic tourism, with only a slight decrease of 0.1%.
During this period, prices have continued to rise, with an average increase of 7.1% in the Costa del Sol province, bringing the average nightly rate to 138 euros. This increase is higher than the national and Andalusian averages, where the average nightly cost is 125 and 119 euros respectively.
138
euros is the average rate per night in a hotel in Malaga province in the first ten months of this year
By market, it is clear that the main international source market, the United Kingdom, continues to grow, with 13% more staying in Malaga hotels. Likewise, the second largest overseas market, Germany, grew by almost 10%.
Therefore, the Costa del Sol ranks as the second most visited area on the Spanish coast in terms of visitor volume, after the island of Mallorca. Also, it is third in terms of overnight stays, with Mallorca and Tenerife ahead.
Andalucía, on the rise
In Andalucía, the upward trend in the hotel sector continues. Overnight stays in hotels grew by 2.1% in October compared to the same month of the previous year, reaching a total of 5,250,858 and marking five consecutive months of growth. Hotels in the region accommodated 3.7% more tourists in October than in the same month of the previous year, reaching 1,903,645 guests. The statistics suggest that domestic tourism in the region is not suffering. Compared to the previous year, the number of visitors from elsewhere in Spain grew by 6.1% and foreign visitors increased by 1.9%. Of the total overnight stays in Andalucía, 1,703,330 were from domestic tourists, while 3,547,528 were by international visitors.
In total, Andalucía reached an occupancy rate of 58.86% in October and the hotel sector employed 44,622 people, representing a 3% year-on-year increase. On the Costa del Sol, the average occupancy rate for the first ten months was 63.7%, a decrease of 1.25% compared to the same period in 2024.
Nationwide, overnight stays in Spanish hotels exceeded 34.2 million in October, representing a 1.3% increase compared to the same month in 2024. The statistics indicate that the sector improved its profitability. The average daily revenue per available room (RevPAR) stood at 86.30 euros, experiencing a more pronounced increase of 5.4%. Meanwhile, the hotel price index (HPI) also rose 4.7% year-on-year.
The slowdown in domestic tourism is also taking its toll across the country, currently showing a decline of just 0.5% across the board. This slight decline has been offset by a 2% increase in overseas bookings, resulting in a net increase of 1.3%.
