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There has been a lot of talk in recent months about holiday destinations on the Costa del Sol being awash with tourists. However, the data go against these stereotypical viewpoints. The holiday rental portal Holidu has drawn up a ranking of which Spanish destinations have been most overcrowded by tourists over the summer season and the data show that the Costa del Sol is far from suffering from this problem.
Holidu makes it clear that it is the results of the 2023 Hotel Occupancy Survey prepared by Spain's national institute of statistics (INE), which counts the number of tourists arriving at the main tourist destinations in the country in that year, that have been used to compile this list. From these figures the company compiled data to create the saturation index based on the ratio between the number of tourists and the population of the towns and cities. "The final classification ranks each place from highest to lowest according to the number of tourists per inhabitant, giving priority to those with the most tourists," stated Holidu.
In this ranking, no municipality on the Costa del Sol is in the 'Top 20' of the most overcrowded destinations in Spain. You have to drop down to 22nd position to find Torremolinos, which is the municipality with the highest rate of overcrowding with 17.7 tourists per inhabitant. This ratio is a far cry from that of the municipality that leads this ranking, which is Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, in the Balearic Islands, with a staggering 73.1 tourists per inhabitant.
As mayor of Torremolinos Margarita del Cid commented that "in Torremolinos there is no problem of saturation and there is no awareness among the population of overcrowding in a destination that continues to be preferred by tourists and in which the council is working to improve public services. Our citizens understand the efforts we are making so that everyone appreciates that tourism is our industry and the main source of wealth".
Following Torremolinos, a few rungs down the ladder, in 28th place is Nerja, with a tourist saturation index of 9.92 travellers per inhabitant. In 32nd place is Benalmádena, with 9.28 tourists per resident, and very close behind is Ronda in 35th place, with 7.99 travellers per inhabitant. In 42nd, 44th and 46th place are Fuengirola, Estepona and Marbella, with scores of 6.15, 5.87 and 5.27 respectively.
You have to go all the way down to 67th position to find Malaga city, the capital of the province, in this ranking of Spanish destinations with the highest tourist saturation index. In addition to being far from the situation of the most overcrowded destinations, it is important to know that the ratio of tourists per inhabitant is only 2.68. An indicator which places it behind other provincial capitals of Andalucía such as Granada, Seville and Cordoba. Councillor for Tourism at Malaga city council, Jacobo Florido, stresses in view of this study that "the numbers prove to be well above the ideology of some and dismantle the story that they create and that does not correspond to reality". He also insisted that "the city is far from having a high saturation level of tourism and that, precisely, we are working to improve the quality of the traveller who chooses us and putting the focus on the markets that yield a tourist with greater spending power such as the United States, Canada, the Middle East and Asia".
Therefore, Malaga city is a far cry from the situation in Sallent de Gállego, a village in the Aragonese Pyrenees, with 51.8 tourists per inhabitant, which is the second most crowded Spanish destination. Or Peñíscola, in the Valencian Community, which, with 51.6 tourists per inhabitant, completes the podium for the top three in this ranking.
This coastal town, famous for its medieval castle and beaches, is followed in terms of crowded streets by Naut Aran, a town in the heart of the Pyrenees in Catalonia, with a ratio of 49.4 tourists per inhabitant. Next is Salou, a classic tourist destination on the Catalan Costa Dorada, making up this 'Top 5' of Spanish destinations with the highest rate of tourist saturation (a ratio of 48.6 tourists per resident). Holidu pointed out that "Salou is a clear example of a destination that benefits greatly from tourism, but also faces great challenges. However, those who wish to enjoy Salou without the crowds can do so in the months of May and September, when the weather is still pleasant and the number of visitors is lower".
Both the Balearic and Canary Islands have the highest number of towns with the highest ratios of tourists per inhabitant. Hence, the 'Top 10' includes Pájara, on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, in sixth place with 48 travellers per resident. It is followed by the medieval village of Albarracín in Aragón with 46.5, and Yaiza, on the Canary Island of Lanzarote, with a saturation index of 43.5.
In ninth position is Capdepera, in the far east of the island of Mallorca, with 39.3 tourists per inhabitant, to complete this 'Top 10' is Benasque in Aragon with 36.7 tourists per inhabitant.
Holidu notes that "Spain, a country steeped in history, culture and breathtaking scenery, has long been a magnet for travellers from around the world. While tourism undeniably drives economies, some of its most iconic destinations are struggling to cope with unprecedented numbers of visitors".
As for Arturo Bernal, regional Minister for Tourism at the Junta de Andalulcía, he emphasised the importance in choosing our words wisely, to talk about 'tourist concentration' rather than saturation because: "there is no saturation in Andalusian destinations. Perhaps there is in Venice, Amsterdam, Paris or London, with a high concentration throughout the year. You only need to travel around the world to realise that tourist saturation in certain cities has nothing to do with the situation in Andalucía".
Bernal also pointed out that "the regional government and especially his ministry are extremely concerned about having the information that will allow us to take appropriate action in this area to correct negative outside views of tourism". In this regard, he added that "we are leading and participating in ten major projects with the European Union that aim to measure sustainability in the three main aspects of tourism, including the social, with a focus on the capacity of destinations to withstand the influx. And we are leading seven of these ten initiatives".
Bernal considered that the first thing is to know where we are and what elements cause this concentration in order to use tools to manage the flows well. "This is what we are working on and we are seeing results and progress in the strategy of a better distribution of tourists," he stated, referring to how the indicators so far this year point to this. The minister explained that, while in the first half of the year there has been much more growth in tourist revenue than in the volume of arrivals, this summer is expected to continue to increase the economic impact despite the fact that the number of travellers will remain in line with last year's records. "We are not growing in the summer and it is no coincidence. We are working on bringing in a traveller with a greater spending capacity. Hence, we expect to reach eight billion euros in revenue this high season, while maintaining the volume of 12 million tourists in the summer of 2023". His argument is that, with this better distribution of tourism throughout the year, which in turn involves a diversification of destinations and products that motivate these trips, more stable employment is being achieved. "In 2018, the seasonality rate was 40%, while in 2023 it stood at 27%. The seasonality problems of ten years ago are no longer there," he said.
Bernal considered it very important "to be rigorous and choosy when making statements about tourism. We cannot have political parties making this their banner. We are very busy trying to see how we can make tourism compatible with the local population". The minister considers it important to get the message across to the local population, to explain that tourism brings a great deal of wealth to the region as a whole and that it expands its economic impact to 76 productive branches of business. "That is why when they try to establish a binomial link between tourism and the rising cost of housing, it must be specified that this is not a problem generated by tourist housing, but that it is necessary to build more price-protected properties and not to intervene in the price of free housing", said Bernal. He continued: "Tourism is a sector with a great transversality. If it were not for tourism, I am sure that Malaga would not be the technological power it is because we would not have the connectivity, the airport and the infrastructure and services that attract the most innovative companies. We need to be more aware of the potential of tourism".
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