The Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport for the Junta de Andalucía, Arturo Bernal, has announced a significant boost for the Andalusian community. This summer, Andalusia is expecting a remarkable 7% increase in overnight stays, which translates to an additional 1.5 million stays compared to the same period in 2023.
The surge is projected to bring the total number of stays to a staggering 21.5 million, underscoring the potential economic impact of the tourism sector.
Initial estimates for the 2024 summer season (pending official statistics for June) predict that the average hotel occupancy rate will be around 68%, while for tourist homes, it will be around 53%.
During the third quarter of this year (from July to September), Andalusia is set to offer around 34,000 flights, providing a global capacity of more than six million seats. This marks the highest historical series for the Andalusian destination. Compared to the summer of 2023, there has been a 9% increase in seats and a 17.5% increase over the pre-pandemic record. The current growth rate is exceeding all previous records. In comparison to the 2023 summer campaign, flights being offered this summer have increased by 8%, with double-digit growth in nearby markets such as France (22%), Italy (19%), Germany, and Portugal (12%). If the predictions are accurate, Andalusia could receive more than 35 million tourists by the end of the year.
The overall expenditure of foreign tourists who visited Andalusia in the first three months of this year exceeded 3,300 million euros, 40% more than the same period in 2020.
The tourism industry in Andalusia has reported encouraging data, including a significant decrease in job instability. The temporary employment rate of the Andalusian tourism industry, which had remained around 40% between 2008 and 2013, dropped to 27% in 2022 and 2023, the lowest it has been. This decrease in job insecurity is a positive development, potentially attributed to the fact that visits are now spread throughout the year. This means that workers are not compelled to seek employment in other sectors during the low season, improving their job stability.
In the past year, there has been significant growth in hotel overnight stays and passenger arrivals in the first and fourth quarters. This has resulted in the lowest seasonality figure since 2008.