Overnight stays in non-hotel tourist accommodations across Spain remained strong in October, backed by fresh figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). More than 10 million Spaniards chose options like apartments, campsites, rural tourism properties, and hostels, up 7.3% from October 2022.
For the first ten months of 2023, overnight stays in these non-hotel options rose 3.9% compared with the same period in 2022. The total surpassed the 2019 level by 4.6%, underscoring a solid rebound in demand for affordable, self-contained lodging choices.
Resident travelers accounted for a 3.6% increase in overnight stays, while non-residents contributed a larger 9.4% rise. The average stay held near four nights per traveler, signaling a balanced pattern of short getaways and longer visits.
October saw a 6% uptick in overnight stays in tourist apartments compared with the same month a year earlier. Local residents registered a 1.8% rise in bookings, while non-residents grew by 7.3%. The overall occupancy and use of these properties reflected healthy seasonal demand.
The average length of stay edged slightly lower, to about 5.2 nights per traveler. Around 35.2% of tourist apartment listings were occupied in October, up 0.2 percentage points from October 2022. Weekend occupancy climbed 4.1%, reaching 39.8% of listings.
Non-residents accounted for roughly 76.6% of overnight stays in tourist apartments. The United Kingdom led the non-resident market with more than 1.4 million overnight stays, followed by Germany with 575,139 stays.
The Canary Islands emerged as the top destination for apartment stays, recording over 2.1 million overnight stays and a 3.1% year-over-year increase. The Community of Madrid showed the highest overall occupancy of apartment spaces at 76.7%. In terms of areas, Tenerife led with 744,252 overnight stays, while Barcelona Beach reported the highest occupancy rate among urban-adjacent destinations at 87.4% of listings offered.
Camping areas up 13 percent
Campsite overnight stays rose 12.7% in October from the previous year. Pitch occupancy stood at 41.8%, up 6.4 percentage points from October 2022. Weekend occupancy reached 45.4%, reflecting a notable annual rise.
Abroad travelers accounted for 53.4% of camping stays, with Germany leading the non-resident segment. Non-residents represented 31.2% of total non-resident camping nights, up 19.3% from October 2022.
Catalonia topped the camping destination charts with 888,784 nights, up 10.9% year over year. The Valencian Community posted the highest weekend occupancy, while land availability in that region also stayed strong.
Costa Blanca stood out as the most popular camping region with 445,096 overnight stays and the highest occupancy rate, at 79.9% of lands offered. The standout spots for camping nights included Benidorm, Mont-Roig del Camp, and Sant Pere Pescador.
Rural tourism grows by four percent
INE data also shows growth in rural tourism stays, up 4.1% in October. Resident stays declined by 1.9%, while non-resident stays surged by 19.4%, signaling a shift toward longer rural getaways among foreign visitors.
In rural accommodations, about 18.7% of listings were occupied, a modest 0.7 percentage point increase from October 2022. Weekend occupancy rose 6.3% to reach 36.6%.
Castilla y Lef3n remained the most frequented rural area with 154,254 overnight stays, down 2.5% from October 2022. The Balearic Islands achieved the highest occupancy rate, with half of the available units occupied on average.
Mallorca led rural stays with 128,119 overnight stays. Ibiza-Formentera showed the strongest occupancy rate among the islands, with 53.6% of listings occupied.
In October, a total of 629,167 nights were spent in hostels, marking a 2.8% annual increase. Residents decreased by 12% while non-residents rose by 14.2%. Hostels occupied 28.2% of their listings, down 5.5% from October 2022. Weekend occupancy rose 2.5%, reaching 34%.
Galicia stood out as a preferred destination for hostel stays with 141,560 overnight nights. The Madrid region recorded the highest occupancy rate at 66.6% of listings offered, according to INE.
The data also highlight price dynamics across segments, with rises noted in tourist apartments, camping areas, and rural tourism. INE reports an overall uplift in overnight stays across all non-hotel accommodations as part of a broader recovery in Spain’s tourism mix.
Source attribution: INE data consolidated for October results and year-to-date comparisons, reflecting trends across apartments, campsites, rural lodging, and hostels.