Spain has been one of the world’s most popular travel destinations for years. However, the ongoing boom has a downside: for many Spaniards, holidays in their own country are becoming increasingly unaffordable. Recent figures highlight a trend that experts have been observing for some time – and which is now becoming ever more apparent.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
by Marlon Gallego Bosbach
More and more Spaniards are travelling abroad
According to current data from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spaniards made fewer trips in 2025 than in the previous year. Particularly notable is that the number of domestic trips fell by around six per cent, while trips abroad increased by more than five per cent.
This continues a broader trend: although most Spaniards still spend their holidays within Spain, an increasing number are travelling abroad – not least for cost reasons.
Record numbers of international tourists
The trend is very different when it comes to foreign visitors. Spain recently recorded almost 97 million international tourists – an all-time high.
In particular, travellers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany are filling hotels and driving up revenues. The tourism sector now generates more than €175 billion annually and continues to grow.
Prices are rising to record levels
However, the boom is accompanied by significant price increases. Average hotel prices are reaching new record highs, at around €166 per night on average. In particularly popular regions such as the Balearic Islands or Marbella, price increases are even in the double-digit percentage range.
What is particularly striking is that prices in Spain are rising faster than the European average – a clear indication of the enormous demand.
Mallorca or Bali? The price difference is shrinking
This development is leading to a remarkable effect: in some cases, a holiday in faraway countries is hardly more expensive – or even cheaper – than staying in Spain.
An analysis shows that while flights to long-haul destinations such as Bali are more expensive, the significantly lower hotel prices often offset this. In the end, the total costs are sometimes at a similar level to trips to the Balearic Islands.
Tourism at the expense of locals?
Experts are increasingly speaking of a structural shift in Spain’s tourism model. While international visitors with greater purchasing power dominate the market, domestic travellers are being left behind.
This trend is also clearly visible in hotels: overnight stays by foreign guests are growing strongly, while demand from Spaniards is stagnating.
A success story with side effects
Spain benefits enormously economically from tourism – but at the same time, a social imbalance is emerging. The success of the sector is leading to parts of the population feeling excluded from their own country’s holiday offerings.
The key question therefore is: who will Spain be a holiday destination for in the future – its own population or primarily international visitors?
Conclusion
Spanish tourism exemplifies a paradox of modern travel destinations: the more successful a country becomes, the harder it becomes for its own population to take part in it.
Whether this trend will continue in the long term or be countered by policy measures remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that Spain has changed significantly in recent years – and with it, the way and places where its citizens take holidays.
