From coastal apartments and bungalows to rural houses and glamping sites in the mountains, Spanish tourists have made non-hotel accommodations one of their usual choices for holidays. Last July, they were also the driving force behind the sector’s growth, contrasting with the decline in foreign tourism. Specifically, overnight stays by Spanish tourists rose by 4.2%, while those by international travelers fell by 2.2%. Consequently, the sector surpassed 22.5 million nights across Spain, a 0.9% increase compared to the previous year, according to provisional data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) for July, in a summer once again marked by rising prices.
However, growth has been uneven across different segments. Rural tourism saw the highest increase, at 3.9%, followed by hostels (+2.2%) and campsites (+1.2%), while tourist apartments remained practically at the same levels as a year ago. In all these categories, except for rural tourism—where international visitors also increased—the boost came primarily from domestic travelers.
The performance of campsites particularly reflects the pull of the domestic market. Overnight stays by Spanish tourists grew by 3.8%, compared to a 2.4% drop in stays by foreigners. The sector considers this trend typical during the peak summer months, when Spanish families take over from international clientele, who are more prevalent during the rest of the year.
“July and August are months when campsites are practically full of Spanish campers,” explains Sergio Chocarro, manager of the Spanish Camping Federation (FEEC). The sector expects to close the summer with a slight increase in customers and overnight stays compared to the previous year, following a July described as “very good,” with occupancy rates estimated by the trade association at 90%, compared to the official figure of 55.1%.
Behind these increases lies a significant shift in the perception of camping. Investments made in recent years in bungalows, water and sports facilities, dining, and entertainment have considerably broadened the customer base. “We have attracted many customers who previously stayed in hotels or apartments,” Chocarro asserts, adding to this phenomenon the rise in popularity of motorhomes, vans, and campers.
Catalonia remains Spain’s leading camping destination, with over 4.5 million overnight stays in July according to official data, a figure 1.3% lower than a year ago. The Costa Brava, with more than 2.2 million nights, once again emerged as the country’s main tourist area for this type of accommodation.
Miquel Gotanegra, president of the Catalan Camping Federation, recently estimated that the average occupancy rate of coastal establishments during July was 65%, and predicted an August closing rate of 80%. Gotanegra calculates that the sector will reach 22 million overnight stays this year, “a new record figure,” driven mainly by guests staying outside the high season, whose numbers continue to rise.
The growth in overnight stays has been accompanied by a significant increase in prices, particularly in campsites and tourist apartments. In the former, rates rose by 6.3%, and in the latter by 6.2%. In apartments, moreover, overnight stays did not grow, and travelers shortened their vacations: the average length of stay fell by 7.3%, to 4.8 nights. Rural tourism partially escaped this trend: it was the accommodation type with the highest growth in nights, up 3.9%, while its prices increased by a much more moderate 1.5%.
In campsites, the industry association attributes the price increases to rising costs. “Workers’ wages, raw materials, energy... all these variables are increasing,” notes the manager of the FEEC, who assures that establishments are trying to absorb part of these increases to avoid passing them on entirely to customers.
Hostels also closed July in positive territory, with a 2.2% increase in overnight stays. In this case, the boost from domestic tourists was even more pronounced: their nights grew by 7.8%, compared to a 7.5% decline in those by foreign visitors.
