Number of high-spending Chinese tourists visiting Malaga soared last year

In 2024, Malaga city enjoyed a boost from the Chinese market in its booming tourism industry. Hotels in the heart of the province saw the amount of such tourists skyrocket last year, with numbers doubling and even quadrupling some months, compared to the same periods in 2023.

Malaga city council's head of tourism, Jacobo Florido, stated that the city's tourism proposal had been well received by the Chinese market. "The promotional work that we have been doing from the city hall has proved to be quite successful," he said. Numbers back up his statement, with Chinese tourists having made almost 22,000 bookings in hotels in the capital of the Costa del Sol in 2024, some 7,000 more than in 2023. The statistics bring to 13,567 the total number of Chinese visitors, which represents an increase of 64% compared to 2023. However, the increase in overnight stays is slightly less marked, standing at 46.1%.

The figures released by the city council highlighted that, in February and April, there was a fourfold increase in the number of visitors, amounting to 1,349 and 1,979 arrivals, respectively, compared to 312 and 453 in the same periods in 2023. In March and July, the number of visitors from the Asian giant doubled, with almost 900 and 1,580, respectively.

This trend meant that, by the beginning of August, the total number of Chinese visitors had already surpassed the 2023 figure for this market, with the overall number of overnight stays also exceeding. Only in September and December was it not possible to reach the previous year's levels.

Florido said that there were five months in which the number of visitors had exceeded 1,000: February, April, July and October, in which more than 2,000 stays were achieved. "These figures endorse our strategy of making progress in distant markets and confirm that we are doing so successfully. These numbers confirm that our proposal is successful in the Asian market, which is of great interest for our tourism sector because of its above-average spending capacity," said the councillor. In addition, he stated that, last year, Malaga strengthened its presence in China where it left its mark on several murals in Shanghai.

The study, however, pointed out that the length of stay of Chinese tourists in Malaga has been slightly reduced to 1.65 days, compared to 1.84 in 2023. Only in September and October did they stay longer. Nonetheless, it is important to note that they spent more than two days on average in March and June.

The data presents a key element for the regional government, which is currently holding open negotiations with two Chinese airlines interested in establishing a direct flight from Andalucía to China this year. At the recent Fitur international tourism fair in Madrid in January, Juanma Moreno, president of the Junta, stated that "we are working resolutely to have this connection. These are negotiations that require caution and patience". In addition, he said that "we are padding out the proposals, although there are many factors that influence them. Airport operator Aena's policies also have a lot to do with this. I am convinced that this direct air connection to Andalucía will become reality".

Arturo Bernal, regional head of tourism, stated that "the discussions are progressing and, as a result, have led to different visits and the delivery of the documentation, as requested". Ranking fourth among airports with the highest passenger traffic and serving as the gateway for more than 70% of tourists, Malaga Airport does not go unnoticed by these companies. With such a connection, Chinese tourism in Andalucía would increase by around 188%, to an approximate figure of 50,000 visitors per year.