From the apartment or bungalow on the coast to the rural house or glamping in the mountains. The Spanish tourist has made non-hotel accommodations one of their usual ways to spend vacations, and last July they were also the ones who sustained its growth, against the decline of the foreign tourist. Specifically, their overnight stays increased by 4.2%, while those of international travelers fell by 2.2%. The sector thus exceeded 22.5 million nights across the country, 0.9% more than a year ago according to provisional INE data for July, in a summer again marked by rising prices.
However, the progress has been uneven across sectors. Rural tourism was the fastest growing, up 3.9%, followed by hostels (+2.2%) and campsites (+1.2%), while tourist apartments remained practically at the same levels as a year ago. In all of them, except rural tourism, where international visitors also increased, the boost mainly came from domestic travelers.
The behavior of campsites especially reflects the strength of the domestic market. Overnight stays by Spaniards grew by 3.8%, compared to a 2.4% decline in those by foreigners. An evolution that the sector considers usual during the central summer months, when Spanish families take over from an international clientele more present during the rest of the year.
“July and August are months when campsites are practically full of Spanish campers,” explains Sergio Chocarro, manager of the Spanish Federation of Campsites (FEEC). The sector expects to close the summer with a slight increase in customers and overnight stays compared to last year after a July it describes as “very good,” with occupancy rates estimated by the association at 90%, compared to the official data of 55.1%.
Behind these increases there is also an important change in the way camping is viewed. Investments made in recent years in bungalows, water and sports facilities, catering, and entertainment have considerably expanded its audience. “We have attracted many customers who previously traveled to hotels or apartments,” says Chocarro, who adds to this phenomenon the rise of motorhomes, vans, and campers.
Catalonia continues to be the main Spanish camping destination, with more than 4.5 million overnight stays in July, according to official data, a figure that was 1.3% lower than a year ago. The Costa Brava, with more than 2.2 million nights, was again the main tourist area in the country for this type of accommodation.
Precisely, the president of the Catalan Federation of Campsites, Miquel Gotanegra, recently estimated the average occupancy of coastal establishments during July at 65% and predicted an August close at 80%. Gotanegra estimates that the sector will reach 22 million overnight stays this year, “a record figure again,” driven mainly by customers who stay outside the high season, which continues to rise.
More expensive nights
The growth in overnight stays is accompanied by a notable price increase, especially in campsites and tourist apartments. In the former, rates rose by 6.3% and in the latter by 6.2%. In apartments, moreover, overnight stays did not grow and travelers shortened their vacations: the average stay fell by 7.3%, to 4.8 nights. Rural tourism partly escaped this dynamic: it was the accommodation that grew the most in nights, 3.9%, while its prices increased a much more moderate 1.5%.
In campsites, the association explains the price increase due to rising costs. “Workers’ wages, raw materials, energy… all these variables are increasing,” says the FEEC manager, who assures that establishments try to absorb part of these increases to avoid passing them entirely on to the customer.
Hostels also closed July positively, with a 2.2% increase in overnight stays. In this case, the push from the national tourist was even more pronounced: their nights grew by 7.8%, compared to a 7.5% decline in those by foreigners.
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