Andalusia expects more tourists with higher spending this summer

Increased tourism revenue, more tourists, more hotel stays, and more jobs. This is the outline of the expectations for the Andalusian tourism sector for this summer, from July to September, as announced this Monday in Cádiz by Arturo Bernal, the Tourism Minister of the Andalusian Regional Government. After predicting an "excellent tourism summer," he detailed the data supporting this claim, which consolidates the strategy of increasing revenue more than the number of traveler arrivals. Specifically, the increase in spending expected from visitors is double that of the visitors expected during the peak period of the year for the tourism industry. Bernal has advanced that they are forecasting to reach 9,000 million euros in revenue, 3.1% more than in the summer of 2024, and they expect 12.8 million travelers to visit Andalusian destinations, which represents a growth of 1.5% compared to the previous year. He also pointed out that "we maintain our share in the national market with a total of 8.5 million tourists, 0.5% more, and we have improved by 5% the arrival of foreign visitors to 4.3 million."

These figures have also boosted job creation, which in the most optimistic scenario is estimated to reach 501,000 workers, a 6.4% increase compared to 2024. "Tourism always brings good news to Andalusia and, thanks to our commitment to a sustainable model, we are achieving good results that we measure in revenue and employment," explained Bernal.

501,000

are the jobs expected to be generated by tourism this summer in Andalusia.

Moreover, the minister has introduced new indicators such as the index measuring the concentration of tourists throughout the year and highlighted that it has decreased from 0.27 to 0.12 in four years, with zero being the best result. "Our concentration index at the end of 2024 was three times lower than that of the Balearic Islands. We are managing to spread tourists throughout the year and better manage the hosting capacity of the municipalities," he clarified, to warn that "these figures are milestones that place Andalusia in the context of a sustainable destination, growing faster in revenue and employment than in visitor arrivals."

Regarding hotel stays, he also pointed out historic results reaching 20.7 million stays, a 2.7% increase compared to 2024, which means 600,000 more. In the breakdown by provinces, although Málaga continues to be the engine of Andalusian tourism, the statistics show that after Huelva, it will experience the least growth with an increase of 1.6% in nights booked in hotels, surpassing 7.5 million stays. Bernal highlighted that growth is expected in all eight provinces and emphasized the good performance of the inland provinces. "Córdoba and Jaén will register growth above the Andalusian average. We are managing to extend tourism activity in the summer beyond the coast, which allows more territories to benefit from tourism activity," he insisted.

For these good prospects, the improvement in connectivity is key. The minister pointed out that they expect Andalusian airports to close this summer with the arrival of more than 35,600 flights, a 5.5% increase, offering 6.3 million seats. These figures represent a 5.8% growth compared to the same period last year. "In this context, the increase of 11.4% in seats from the United Kingdom stands out. The recovery of this market is already a fact, and our air connectivity strategy is yielding results," he emphasized.