Spaniards abandon beaches - Reason, mass tourism and price increases
International holidaymakers are keeping Spaniards further and further away from their gorgeous beaches due to ever-rising hotel and rental prices during an unprecedented tourism boom.
The 25 main destinations on Spain's Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts recorded a drop in domestic tourism of 800,000 people last year, while foreign visitors increased by 1.94 million, according to official data.
The trend looks set to continue as the world's second most visited country, as France anticipates a record 100 million foreign visitors this year. With a population of 48 million, half the number of foreign visitors each year, Spain relies heavily on tourism, which contributes more than 13% of GDP.
But protests in the country are growing over a housing shortage exacerbated by mass tourism and could be exacerbated by the humiliation of Spaniards missing out on the prices of their favorite vacations. Hotel prices have risen by 23% in the past three years, reaching an average of 136 euros per night, according to data company Mabrian.
Beach hotel rentals have also risen by 20.3% since mid-2023, with most of them booked for the summer by the first quarter. Foreign tourists stayed an average of eight nights on Spain's main beaches last year, with locals spending just half that time and spending a quarter of the money.
In fact, resort hotels are lowering their forecasts for this summer, even despite the foreign boom, partly because the places where residents tend to spend their holidays are expecting slower sales. Spaniards also made almost 400,000 fewer trips to the country's main cities in 2024 compared to last year, while foreign tourist visits there increased by almost 3 million.
Aware of growing dissatisfaction and inequalities, Spain's socialist government is encouraging international tourists to explore domestic attractions to address overcrowding and diversify tourism.
The Spanish have a strong tradition of family vacations in the hot summer months, but they are turning more to Airbnb rentals than hotels and are swapping Catalonia or the Balearic Islands for lesser-known destinations in Andalusia or Castille and Leon where prices are lower and mass tourism has not yet arrived.
Last year, another 1.7 million Spaniards vacationed in generally more affordable inland areas.
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