Travellers from the United Kingdom and Germany accounted for 27.2 per cent and 17.4 per cent, respectively, of the total number of overnight stays by non-residents in September. | Photo: Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter
Humphrey CarterPalma23/10/2026 11:29
Hotel prices in Spain continue to rise well above the rate of inflation, as has been the case since the end of the pandemic, and this past September they increased by 6.7 per cent, the highest rate since April 2025.
According to data on the hotel tourism sector published on Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), hotels charged an average of 141.6 euros per occupied room (ADR), 7.4 per cent more than in the same month of the previous year.
During the first nine months of 2026, the number of overnight stays in hotels rose by 1.5 per cent compared with the same period the previous year, with a marginal increase (0.1 per cent) among residents and 2.2 per cent among non-residents.
The average daily revenue per available room (RevPAR), which is determined by the occupancy rate of these establishments and provides a more accurate indication of hotel profitability, reached 110.5 euros, representing a rise of 7.7 per cent.
The tourist destination with the highest ADR and RevPAR was Marbella, at 286.6 and 231.2 euros respectively. By category, the ADR stood at 332.8 euros for five-star hotels, 144.3 euros for four-star hotels and 115.6 euros for three-star hotels. The RevPAR for these same categories was 257.9, 122.8 and 92.3 euros, respectively.
The Hotel Price Index (HPI) shows that, by autonomous community and city, the largest increase was recorded in Ceuta (13.7 per cent), followed by Madrid (10.4 per cent), whilst the smallest increases were in Aragón (2.4 per cent) and Extremadura (3.6 per cent).
Overnight stays rise by 1.5 per cent, with a greater increase among foreign visitors. During the first nine months of 2026, hotel overnight stays increased by 1.5 per cent compared with the same period the previous year, with a marginal rise (0.1 per cent) among residents and a 2.2 per cent rise among non-residents.
In September alone, hotel overnight stays rose by 1.7 per cent compared with the same month in 2025, exceeding 40.1 million; growth was also stronger amongst international travellers (up 3.2 per cent) than amongst domestic travellers (down 1.9 per cent).
Andalusia, Catalonia and the Valencian Community were the main destinations for travellers resident in Spain in September, accounting for almost 50 per cent of the overnight stays between them. The main destinations for non-residents were the Balearics, Catalonia and the Canary Islands, which accounted for 32.5 per cent, 18.4 per cent and 17.7 per cent of the total, respectively.
By tourist area, the island of Mallorca recorded the highest number of overnight stays, with over 7.3 million; and the tourist destinations with the most overnight stays were Madrid, Barcelona and Calvia (Mallorca).
Travellers from the United Kingdom and Germany accounted for 27.2 per cent and 17.4 per cent, respectively, of the total number of overnight stays by non-residents in September, followed by French, American and Dutch visitors.
In September, 67 per cent of available beds were occupied, 0.3 per cent more than in the same month of 2025, a figure that rose to 72.6 per cent at weekends. The Balearics recorded the highest occupancy rate, at 82.6 per cent.