Overnight Stays in Non-Hotel Tourist Accommodations
In September, the total number of Spaniards staying in non-hotel accommodations such as apartments, campsites, rural tourism properties, and hostels surpassed 13.4 million, reflecting a 3.5% rise from the previous year. The sharpest price increase among these accommodations occurred in apartments, with an 8.4% rise, followed by rural tourism at 5.7%.
Data published by the National Institute of Statistics shows that there was no change in resident overnight stays in non-hotel accommodations last September, while non resident stays climbed by 6.2%. The average stay for the month stood at four nights per traveler. For the year to date, non-hotel overnight stays grew 3.7% in the first nine months of 2023 compared with the same period a year earlier, and they were up 3.9% versus the same period in 2019.
Of the roughly 13.5 million overnight stays in September, 5.7 million were by Spanish residents, with an additional 4.5 million from the rest of the European Union and 3.1 million from the rest of the world.
According to INE data, the IPAP price index for tourist apartments rose by 8.4% in September, the IPAC camping index advanced by 4.9%, and the IPTR rural tourism index climbed by 5.7% compared with September 2022. This reflects a broad uptick in apartment and rural lodging prices across the sector.
Autumn in Flats
Overnight stays in tourist apartments in Spain fell by 2.4% in September. Residents registered a larger decline of 6.7%, while non residents saw a slight drop of 0.3%. The average rate per stay declined by 2.3%, with 38.2% of available units occupied and an average of 5.1 nights per traveler, down 0.6% from September 2022.
Non residents accounted for 68.3% of total overnight stays in tourist apartments. The United Kingdom was the leading source market with more than 1.7 million stays, followed by Germany with 613,112 stays, underscoring the strong European demand for Spanish apartments.
Canary Islands emerged as the top destination for apartment stays, recording over 1.9 million nights and a 0.9% year over year increase. The Balearic Islands reported the highest occupancy rate, with 83.2% of apartments offered. Costa Blanca led tourist areas with 750,223 overnight stays; Lanzarote posted the highest occupancy rate at 87.1% of available apartments. Notable hotspots included San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Arona, and Tias.
Camping Areas Are Growing
As the tourist season winds down, camping areas saw a 9% year over year increase in overnight stays in apartments. Residents’ income rose 3.2% while non residents surged 16.5%. About 41% of camping plots were occupied in September, a 0.5% rise from September 2022. Weekend occupancy climbed 1% year over year to 43.6%.
Forty-six point six percent of camping stays came from foreign travelers, with Germany accounting for 26% of the total, up 24.7% from September 2022. The preferred destination within camping areas was Catalonia, which hosted more than 2.2 million overnight stays, up 13.2% on the year. La Rioja achieved the highest occupancy rate at 63.6% of plots offered. Costa Brava was the favored tourist area, recording 971,126 overnight stays, while Costa Blanca in Alicante reported the highest occupancy rate at 69.4% of sites offered. Prominent spots with high overnight stays included Benidorm, Torroella de Montgrí, and Mont Roig del Camp.
Rural Tourism Is Expanding
Rural tourism overnight stays rose 8.6% year over year in September. INE notes that stays for residents increased 3.3% while those for non residents jumped 19.6%. Rural tourism properties operated at 22.8% occupancy, with places up 6.1% from September 2022. Weekend occupancy fell 2.6% year over year to 33.9%.
Across communities, Balearic Islands stood out as a preferred destination, rising 7.6% versus September 2022 with 220,869 overnight stays and an occupancy rate of 69% of available places. Tourist areas highlighted Mallorca as the leading destination with 179,629 nights, while Menorca achieved the highest occupancy rate at 74.7% of sites offered.
Regarding hostels, a total of 788,941 overnight stays were recorded last September, marking a 21.2% annual increase. Residents increased by 18.9% and non residents by 22.8%. Overall occupancy reached 34.7%, up 13% from September 2022. Galicia led as the most popular hostel destination with 207,524 nights, and Madrid reported the highest occupancy at 65% of available beds.
In summary, Spain saw a broad rise in non-hotel overnight stays across apartments, rural tourism, and camping, with varied movement across resident and non resident segments. These figures reflect shifting travel patterns within Europe and beyond, as summer demand extended into autumn and regional occupancy differed by destination and accommodation type. [Citation: INE data, Tourism Statistics; further summaries by the National Institute of Statistics].