Costa del Sol ends summer with record tourists, more revenue and jobs than ever before
The data on airline offers until the end of the year suggests that this growth will be maintained in the final months
The Costa del Sol wraps up another record summer. The data gathered from June to August shows that the province received more tourists and more revenue, which led to the creation of more jobs, than ever before this past summer.
President of Turismo Costa del Sol Francisco Salado has presented the summer tourism review and revealed that "it has been a good summer" despite the "cooling of the economy". What could have also contributed to a tourism slowdown is the "increase in the tax burden", which implies "less purchasing power that affects all sectors of tourism". Despite these factors, the season has registered record numbers.
From June to August, the province received 6,235,000 tourists, 1.12% more than last summer. This has contributed to the province's coffers by more than 8.9 billion euros, 1.8% more than last summer.
At the presentation, Salado highlighted that the arrival of both Spanish and foreign tourists at the airport has increased by 11.3% and 6.3%, respectively: 4.6 million international tourists and one million Spaniards. In total, 5.5 million passengers entered through Malaga Airport up to September, an increase of 7.1%.
8.9
billion euros of revenue registered from June to August on the Costa del Sol
Hotel bookings also increased in Malaga province this past summer. The number of guests grew by 1.9%, while overnight stays increased by 2.5%. The province's hotel establishments registered more than 10 million stays between June and August. With that said, all indicators increased except occupancy, which dropped slightly by 0.40% to 73.4%. On the other hand, the average stay increased to 3.8 days and profitability rose by 11.5% thanks to an almost 11% increase in prices to an average of 178.70 euros.
Tourism - the main industry in the province - created 154,652 jobs in the summer of 2025, which is 3% more compared to last year. Salado stated that "such figures have never been recorded before" and that they demonstrate "the importance of tourism for the local economy".
Moreover, the October-December offer that airlines have presented at Malaga Airport shows that this growth will be maintained in the last stretch of the year, with 5.4% more seats available (3.47 million). Until the end of the year, the Costa del Sol will be connected to 137 destinations, which is seven more compared to last year. The dominance of the British market is obvious, with almost 40% of flights. Germany, the Netherlands, France and Italy account for 23%. Salado, however, said that they are being cautious, given the uncertainty of the global situation. In order to make more precise predictions and be prepared, Turismo Costa del Sol uses artificial intelligence and data tools, which helps it "attract the tourists who interest us most".
