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Tourism

Marbella's tourism industry grows by 13.6%, exceeding 2019 levels for the first time

Hotels recorded 97,344 guests and achieved record figures for international tourism, profitability and employment, which rose by more than 54%

Hotels in Marbella recorded 343,473 overnight stays in July.
José Carlos García

Tourism in Marbella is growing in terms of visitor numbers, overnight stays, profitability and, above all, employment. This is the key finding of the latest ... hotel occupancy survey (EOH) the INE national institute of statistics has just published.

It demonstrates the strength of the destination's hotel offering during one of the busiest periods of the year. Compared with July 2025, the number of visitors last month rose by 13.6%, the average length of stay increased by 5.4%, revenue per available room (RevPAR) rose by 14.6%, while employment surged by a spectacular 54.3% to reach 6,559 workers, the highest figure ever recorded in July, although below the record figure of June (6,760).

"Marbella is achieving something particularly significant: growth not only in visitor numbers, but also in value, profitability and employment," director-general for tourism Laura de Arce said.

Marbella shows it is capable of attracting "a growing number of visitors during the high season", while the hotel sector keeps generating economic value in the form of jobs and revenue.

The number of visitors reached one of the highest levels in recent records, exceeding pre-pandemic levels for the first time in July. The 95,039 tourists in 2019 had not been exceeded since then, not until last month, with 97,344 guests.

This also marks a new all-time high for foreign tourists: 76,463, following a 19% increase compared with last year (12,219 more).

The increase in passenger numbers also led to a rise in overnight stays, which totalled 343,473, compared with 325,739 in July last year (17,734 more overnight stays), offsetting a slight fall in the average length of stay, which fell from 3.80 days last year to 3.53 days.

De Arce pointed out that "the growth in visitor numbers and overnight stays demonstrates that Marbella retains a strong appeal during the summer season". The local tourism strategy focuses on extending visitors' stays by diversifying the range of attractions on offer and promoting products linked to golf, gastronomy, culture, sport, well-being, conference tourism and major events, "helping to broaden the reasons for visiting Marbella throughout the year".

The occupancy rate, which stood at 81.09% on a room basis, reiterated the positive trend.

Profitability

One of the most notable indicators for the month is the trend in the average daily rate (ADR), which stood at 416.22 euros, compared with the 375.12 euros in July 2025, a year-on-year growth of 10.96%. For De Arce, the figure confirms Marbella's position as "one of the tourist destinations with the highest added value in the domestic market and reflects the hospitality sector's ability to maintain a high valuation of its offering during the high season".

"Marbella is demonstrating that its strength lies not only in attracting more tourists, but in ensuring that this demand generates ever-greater economic value for the destination," the town hall's head of tourism said. "What is truly important is that the high occupancy rates are accompanied by a very significant increase in revenue per room."

Particularly significant, too, is the performance of revenue per available room (RevPAR), which stood at 339.42 euros, compared with 296.25 euros in July 2025, representing growth of 14.6% in just one year. The growth in RevPAR exceeds that recorded for the average daily rate (ADR), meaning that Marbella has managed to combine a higher average price with improved occupancy.

"The trend in RevPAR is one of the figures that best reflects the strength of Marbella's tourism model. We are seeing growth in demand, but we are also significantly increasing the profitability of our hotel sector," De Arce said.

"These results encourage us to continue working on a tourism model based on quality, excellence, sustainability, internationalisation and diversification, with the aim of ensuring that Marbella remains a leading destination and that growth in tourism translates into more activity and more opportunities for our residents," the director-general stated.

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Marbella's tourism industry grows by 13.6%, exceeding 2019 levels for the first time

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Marbella's tourism industry grows by 13.6%, exceeding 2019 levels for the first time