August 2023 is the second month with the highest number of tourists and hotel stays in Andalusia since at least 1999, according to the Hotel Tourism Situation Survey of the National Institute of Statistics (IN THE). The autonomous community on the southern peninsula received 2.26 million tourists in August, 12,568 fewer than in the same month in 2019, when the historical series record was broken.

This data is combined with other statistics showing the recovery of the tourism sector in Andalusia after the pandemic. The region is already a top tourist destination for Spanish residents in the second quarter of 2023, with 8.3 million trips between April and June 2023, or 17.2% of the total, with daily spending per person averaging 73 euros, according to the data. Population Tourism Survey (IN THE).

The community also closed 2022 as its second year European region with more stays in accommodation booked through online platforms such as Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group or TripAdvisor with 25 million registered nights; the figure is only surpassed by Adriatic Croatia (26.7 million nights), according to Eurostat.

Profile of tourists visiting Andalusia

Andalusia Tourism Situation Survey (ECTA) from the Andalusian Institute of Statistics and Cartography (IECA) shows that one in three tourists staying overnight in hotels in the region in the second quarter of 2023 comes from other cities in Andalusia, 30.2% from other autonomous communities, 27.9% from the country -European Union countries and the UK as well as 8.8% of other countries in the world.

88.5% of tourists travel to Andalusia for “vacation or leisure”, while 8.7% do so to visit family and friends and 1.2% for “work or business, to attend an exhibition”, congress or convention.”

That statistics INE’s mobile phone position-based tourism measure estimates Andalusia to receive 6.8 million international tourists in the first seven months of 2023. The UK, with 1.57 million tourists, France (665,727), Germany (529,406) and the Netherlands (493,736) are the countries with the most sends many tourists to its community.

That experimental statistics revealed that between January and July 2023, 7.58 million tourists from other autonomies also visited Andalusia. The Community of Madrid (2.71 million people), the Community of Valencia (743,958) and Catalonia (692,789) were the communities that sent the most tourists to Andalusia in this period.

Malaga Province, the main destination in Andalusia

Malaga province was the preferred destination for tourists in Andalusia in the first seven months of the year, with 3.5 million tourists registered in hotels, 31.2% of the total, according to the report. Latest tourist data in Andalusia Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Government of Andalusia. Followed by the provinces of Seville and Cádiz, with 2.2 and 1.7 million tourists respectively.

In fact, Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport closed the best August in its history last month, registering 2.42 million passengers, according to Aenawith the UK (615,754 passengers), Germany (187,250), France (120,567), Ireland (115,610) and Italy (112,884) markets as the markets with the highest demand in absolute terms.

So far in 2023, Malaga airport has established itself as the fourth busiest airport in Spain, behind only Madrid, Barcelona and Palma, with 14.9 million passengers between January and August 2023, 21.5% more than in 2022 and 9 .3% above 2019 figures, according to the latest statistics report from Aena.

In August, the hotel occupancy rate in Malaga province was 88.4%, according to the Costa del Sol Hotel Business Owners Association (Aehcos), so it is below the 2019 occupancy (89.7%). The Málaga hotel association explained that the decline that occurred in the pre-pandemic period was related to a “decline in national demand” and “loss of family purchasing power” due to inflation and rising interest rates.